Behind industry innovation, there are always leaders driving change. Some of the obvious names that come to mind are Elon Musk, Satya Nadella, and Tim Cook; however, innovation is happening in different industries and in a variety of unique ways.
These top leaders are influencing their industries in ways never seen before. Whether it’s Accounting, Manufacturing, or Banking, innovation is happening, so it’s important that we consistently listen to leaders and educate others on our team about what’s on the horizon.
Here are 12 trailblazing experts and leaders who are Innovation Officers at major influential companies:
1. Joe Depa – Global Chief Innovation Officer, EY
Joe Depa leads the firm’s innovation strategy and serves as its global spokesperson for Innovation and Technology Disruption. Joe’s unique focus in applied innovation gives him an advantage to lead on real-world ROI from innovation by developing an organizational “innovation muscle.” This philosophy encourages teams and leaders to have an approach that is much like getting in shape: requiring a plan, consistency, and collaboration.
Joe leads organizations beyond the initial excitement of AI, focusing on deploying the next generation use cases of Agentic AI, AI-ready data and synthetic data to help organizations build robust data infrastructures to make more informed business decisions at speed and reliability. Joe is motivated by his personal and previous professional experiences in healthcare tech and precision medicine to see to it that AI, data, and other emerging technology is leveraged for good, knowing it is paramount that these organizational systems put into place can be trusted so that end users can be confident in the results. A recognized AI and data thought leader, Joe has received honors such as World Summit AI Top 50 Data and AI Leaders and Fast Company’s “World Changing Idea” award.
2. Ken Moore – Chief Innovation Officer, Mastercard
Ken Moore drives Mastercard’s innovation engine through its Mastercard Foundry, where he oversees cutting-edge R&D, product lifecycle strategies, and breakthrough design initiatives. Under his leadership, Mastercard is testing and deploying technologies like quantum-resistant cryptography, open banking platforms, and digital identity frameworks.
Moore focuses on making emerging tech both scalable and accessible, driving fintech and payments innovation in mature and underserved markets alike. His team’s experimentation with AI in fraud prevention and blockchain in cross-border transactions continues to shape the future of finance.
3. John Hoke III – Chief Design Officer, Nike
John Hoke has been shaping Nike’s future through visionary design that balances performance, innovation, and sustainability. With over 1,000 creatives under his leadership, Hoke reimagines product development using AI and computational design, turning future insights into actionable creativity. He is a strong advocate for circular design, having championed Nike’s Move to Zero initiative aimed at zero carbon and zero waste.
Hoke’s work is not just about creating the next sneaker. It’s also about redefining how the future of sport and apparel interfaces with human potential, environmental responsibility, and digital transformation.
4. Victor Aguilar – Chief R&D and Innovation Officer, P&G
Victor Aguilar manages one of the world’s largest private-sector R&D teams and steers P&G’s $2B innovation engine. His work spans 11 global R&D hubs and more than 100 brands, with a core mission to deliver irresistibly superior products.
Aguilar has introduced AI and machine learning to packaging design and product formulation while leading sustainability efforts like eliminating virgin plastics. He champions collaborative innovation with startups and suppliers, pushing for speed-to-market and global scale. His track record is one of operationalizing innovation into everyday consumer excellence.
5. Jennifer Wolford – Chief Innovation Officer, Operation HOPE
Jennifer Wolford is transforming the financial well-being of underserved communities through innovation at Operation HOPE. She’s building platforms that fuse fintech with financial literacy, helping millions access credit, savings tools, and small business support.
Her innovation philosophy focuses heavily on equity and access, embedding technology solutions into social impact programs. Whether it’s digitizing credit counseling or leveraging AI to personalize financial coaching, Wolford’s mission is bent on breaking cycles of poverty with tools that empower and educate.
6. Dame Vivian Hunt – Chief Innovation Officer, UnitedHealth Group
Dame Vivian Hunt is redefining innovation in healthcare at UnitedHealth Group by marrying equity, efficiency, and systems transformation. A former McKinsey executive with deep strategy experience, she is focused on predictive analytics, value-based care, and digital patient journeys.
Hunt believes innovation in healthcare must serve everyone, and she’s committed to integrating data science with human-centered design to improve patient outcomes. Her leadership brings both a global health equity lens and a business rigor to one of the largest healthcare systems in the world.
7. Cynthia Stoddard – CIO & Innovation Leader, Adobe
Cynthia Stoddard blends innovation and infrastructure as Adobe’s CIO, overseeing the backbone systems that enable world-class creativity and digital experience platforms. She leads cloud, AI, and enterprise-wide digital transformation initiatives that support Adobe’s product velocity and customer personalization.
Stoddard has championed intelligent automation, AI ops, and composable architecture, building an IT organization that’s a true partner in innovation. Her leadership is transforming Adobe’s internal operations into a testbed for customer-facing solutions.
8. Catherine Irwin Corbin – Chief Business Innovation Officer, St. Jude
At St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Catherine Corbin is driving mission-aligned innovation across business strategy and operations. She plays a key role in executing St. Jude’s ambitious $12.9 billion strategic plan, using analytics, technology, and operational reinvention to expand the hospital’s research and treatment capacity globally.
Corbin leads initiatives that amplify the reach of pediatric care and life-saving research, ensuring St. Jude is not just a world-class hospital, but a platform for innovation in global childhood disease solutions.
9. J. Scott Christiansen – Keynote Speaker on AI, Emerging Tech, and Innovation
J. Scott Christiansen is one of the most sought-after voices at the intersection of AI, emerging technology, and practical innovation. A former tech entrepreneur who built and ran an IT consulting firm for over two decades, he went on to direct the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Missouri’s Trulaske College of Business, helping students and startups turn ideas into viable products and services.
Now an Associate Teaching Professor Emeritus, Christiansen focuses on speaking, writing, and advising organizations on how to harness technologies like AI, blockchain, and IoT in ways that genuinely serve people. His keynotes are known for being highly interactive and accessible, breaking down complex topics through live demos, gamified learning, and hands-on exercises. Whether he’s addressing a corporate leadership team or a room full of entrepreneurs, Christiansen’s gift is making the “aha” moment happen — the point where emerging tech stops being abstract and becomes a tool people can actually use.
10. Tojin Eapen – Strategic Innovation Advisor, Contributor to Harvard Business Review
Tojin T. Eapen is a globally recognized innovation strategist whose work sits at the cutting edge of augmented creativity, bioinspired design, and AI-driven foresight. As the founder of the Center for Creative Foresight and a Senior Fellow at The Conference Board, Eapen advises executives and organizations on how to navigate uncertainty through systematic, nature-inspired strategic thinking. He has advised over 40 global organizations including Google, Samsung, Qualcomm, and the Tata Group.
Eapen’s influence on the global innovation conversation is substantial. His 2023 Harvard Business Review cover article on augmenting human creativity with AI became an HBR bestseller, and his feature on designing products that evolve organically was selected for HBR’s 10 Must Reads for 2026. A member of the Thinkers50 Radar Class of 2026, he presents a framework in his book Bioinspired Strategic Design that shows how organizations can draw on the survival strategies of living organisms to build efficiency, resilience, and competitive prominence. His mission is clear: equip leaders with the creative frameworks and foresight tools they need to innovate sustainably in an era of relentless disruption.
11. Mauro Porcini – President & Chief Design Officer, Samsung
Mauro Porcini, formerly the design visionary behind PepsiCo’s global reinvention, now leads design innovation at Samsung. Known for his “human-centered innovation” ethos, Porcini is championing a future where user experience is the soul of product design.
At Samsung, he’s integrating design thinking with advanced technologies across smartphones, appliances, and emerging platforms like spatial computing. Mauro’s work goes beyond aesthetics. He sees design as a business strategy that fuels customer loyalty and competitive edge in a hyper-tech world.
12. Annie Bloomquist – Chief Innovation Officer, Sleep Number
Annie Bloomquist is pushing the boundaries of wellness tech at Sleep Number by integrating biometric sensors, AI, and personalized sleep insights into a fully connected ecosystem. She spearheaded the launch of the Next Gen smart bed, an adaptive sleep platform that evolves with a user’s health needs.
Her vision centers on making sleep a cornerstone of preventative health, blending clinical research with IoT product design. Bloomquist’s work is pioneering how technology and daily life converge for better living.
How Will You Innovate in 2026?
Innovation is shaped every day by leaders who combine strategy, technology, and human-centered thinking across every major industry. These 10 personalities are just a drop in the bucket of what’s happening globally with business and technology innovation.
The big question is: How will you follow in their footsteps? What mark can be made for your brand to become a leader in your vertical? It all starts with having an idea, the will to attempt it, and the right team to execute it.
Photo by Rebrand Cities; Pexels
