Certified Chief Innovation Officer
Affirms an individual’s proficiency at key and foundational innovation methods and tools

CCInO®
Certified Chief Innovation Officer (CCInO)® is GInI’s recognition of senior business leaders who have demonstrated an advanced understanding of key topics relating to enterprise innovation, innovation strategy, innovation groups, innovation spaces, management and workplace innovation, and other leading innovation practices.
CCInO certification affirms an individual’s proficiency at executive-level innovation practices and methods. This includes enterprise innovation programs, the GInI Enterprise Innovation Architecture, innovation strategy formation, the GInI Strategic Innovation Compass, the GInI Strategic Innovation Roadmap, strategic innovation portfolios, management and workplace innovation, the GInI Experiential Human Innovation Framework, innovation group design, innovation space design, outcome-driven innovation, discovery-driven innovation, and innovation maturity.
Benefits of Becoming a Certified Chief Innovation Officer (CCInO)
Become a Strategic Innovation Thinker
You will develop the ability to see innovation as a strategic tool for advancing the relevance, growth, and resilience of your organization. You will furthermore develop the ability to guide your organization strategically in defining and pursuing a specific course for innovation. As part of this, you will be able to examine the many options for an innovation portfolio from which organizations can select options that balance the short, medium, and long-term needs of the organization.


Become the Driving Force for Ever Improving Innovation Capabilities
You will develop an understanding of the different organizational levels of innovation maturity. You will understand how that each of these levels brings with it certain capabilities, and how the CCInO role differs in each case. You will also learn methods for constantly advancing the innovation capabilities of your organization, so that over time it can become capable of leading its markets, as well as defining new markets.
Become a Force for Engagement and Change
You will learn how to engage your entire organization in the pursuit of innovation and how to reap the many paybacks. You will also learn how to incorporate and manage the insights and ideas of your stakeholders in defining the many possible new paths forward, as well as how to deliver on those with the greatest potential impact.


Become a Champion of the Innovation Engine
You will understand how the many pieces of the innovation ecosystem work together to deliver the greatest impact to the business. You will also understand the many tools and methods available for empowering innovation work in the organization. You will learn how to establish and use special teams and innovation spaces to drive very focused and purpose-driven innovation work.
Target Audiences
Executive business leaders who desire or intend to take on the role of Chief Innovation Officer within a business (or an equivalent executive role), building, leading and expanding the business’ own innovation program. The Program is intended for Executives and Senior Managers in Strategy, Innovation, Marketing, and R&D with substantial business experience.
Obtaining Certified Chief Innovation Officer (CCInO)
Step 1- Meet the exam eligibility requirements:
- Hold a CInP Certificate plus a minimum of four years of professional experience.
- Hold a CInS Certificate plus a minimum of three years of professional experience.
- A minimum of five years of professional experience with a Master’s degree or higher.
- A minimum of seven years of professional experience with a Bachelor’s degree.
- A minimum of ten years of professional experience with less than a Bachelor’s degree.
- A minimum of two years in a similar C-level role (eg CEO, CTO, CMO, CIO, BU GM, EVP, etc) in an organization similar to where one intends to apply the CCInO certification, regardless of degree.
- In addition, the individual must show proof of ownership of the GInI Applied Innovation Master Book®.
Step 2- Apply for and pass the CCInO exam
Contact us to know more about the exam preparation course.
Maintaining Chief Innovation Officer (CCInO)
To maintain your CCInO Certification, you must earn 60 Innovation Development Units (IDUs) every three years, or retake the CCInO exam.
For more information read the CInS Guide Book at