Hello
Although I haven't had the chance to met a CTO like the one described, I really like the way CTO qualities (vs VP of Engineering) are listed and described in this short read: CTO vs VP Engineering: What’s the Difference? It makes a lot of sense to me. A shorter answer could be: a good CTO is good at building a bridge between engineering and business, and therefore does a great job a strategical planning, whereas a VP of Engineering would be more in the tactical planning.