Dell Inc. Chief Financial Officer Brian Gladden has become the company’s third senior executive to depart since Dell completed a leverage buyout of its shareholders in late October.<br /><br />The Round Rock-based company disclosed Friday that Gladden, CFO since 2008, “has stepped down to pursue other career interests.” He’ll be replaced by executive Thomas Sweet, according to a Dell news release that indicates the split was amicable.<br /><br />Dell spokesman David Frink said Gladden is eager to return to the role of CEO. Whether he has something already lined up is unknown.<br /><br />In mid-December, President and Chief Commercial Officer Steve Felice announced his departure to become the president and CEO of Chicago-based Filtration Group Corp. Before that, General Counsel Larry Tu was enlisted by New York-based media giant CBS Corp. (NYSE: CBS) as the company’s Los Angeles-based chief legal officer.<br /><br />Dell, the No. 3 computer maker in the world, employs 14,000 workers in Central Texas.<br /><br />Changes in Dell leadership since the buyout are not unexpected. The $24.9 billion leveraged buyout was completed by an investor group led by CEO Michael Dell and California-based Silver Lake Partners. Michael Dell now owns 75 percent of the company.<br /><br />The go-private deal was designed to enable Dell, which had been publicly traded for 25 years, to transition beyond personal computers to the higher profit margins provided by software, services and other networking tools.