Alliance One International Inc., the $2 billion leaf tobacco merchant with headquarters in Morrisville, N.C., has appointed Robert A. Sheets as executive vice president and CFO. Sheets, 53, replaces James A. Cooley, who resigned. Previously Sheets served as the executive vice president of finance and CFO of Standard Commercial Corp., a predecessor of the company, from April 1998 to May 2005 when Standard merged with DIMON Inc. to form Alliance One, and served on its board of directors. Before that, he held various finance positions with R J Reynolds International.

HealthExtras Inc., the $1.9 billion provider of pharmacy benefit management services based in Rockville, Md., appointed Hai Tran CFO, effective July 1. Tran, 39, will succeed Michael P. Donovan, who will remain the company's executive vice president of corporate development. Tran comes to HealthExtras from Hanger Orthopedic Group Inc., an orthotic and prosthetic provider, where most recently he served as vice president and treasurer.

Verisign Corp., the $1.5 billion Internet infrastructure provider based in Mountain View, Calif., has appointed Brian G. Robins, senior vice president, acting CFO. Also, Robynne D. Sisco, senior vice president and chief accounting officer, assumed additional responsibilities as controller. Robins, 38, and Sisco replace Albert E. Clement and Debbie W. Tuck, who resigned on April 4. According to Verisign, neither resignation was the result of any action that, to its knowledge, would adversely impact its financial statements or operations.