The role of chief financial officers in managing innovation

It's often said that behind every great chief executive officer (CEO) who has the big blue-sky vision for corporate innovation, there's a chief financial officer (CFO), bearing tidings of caution, prudence and even skepticism. But that is not a wholly accurate statement today, according to the interviews and other research conducted for this report. In exploring the CFO's impact on innovation, the findings can be grouped in two broad categories: innovation in the boardroom; and innovation in the field.

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This is a commentary piece by Janet Kersnar, an editor of knowledge@Wharton, the online journal of University of Pennsylvania's, Wharton School and former editor-in-chief of CFO Europe Magazine.

The views are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of NESTA.

Published:
August 2011

Author:
Janet Kersnar