A chief innovation officer or CINO is a person in a company who "originates new ideas but also recognizes innovative ideas generated by other people."
The term chief innovation officer was first coined and described as a new executive position reporting to the CEO in the book, Fourth Generation R&D, published in 1998 The CINO is responsible for managing the innovation process inside the organization that identifies strategies, business opportunities and new technologies and then develops new capabilities and architectures with partners, new business models and new industry structures to serve those opportunities. Organizations with a CINO are practicing part of the fourth generation of innovation theory and practice to emerge since 1900 The CINO focuses on radical or breakthrough innovation. The coined term CINO is used to differentiate the position from the Chief Information Officer

Chief information officer

Chief information officer , or information technology director, is a job title commonly given to the most senior executive in an enterprise responsible for the information technology and computer systems that support enterprise goals...

 although CIO is more commonly used for both positions.
Robb Hecht, chief innovations consultant

Consultant

A consultant is a professional who provides professional or expert advice in a particular area such as management, accountancy, the environment, entertainment, technology, law , human resources, marketing, emergency management, food production, medicine, finance, life management, economics, public...

 for IMC Strategies Lab, a brand

Brand

The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a "Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers."...

 strategy consulting firm in New York City. has stated that "Marketing

Marketing

Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...

 used to include one-way media

Mass media

Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...

," referring to TV, radio, billboards and the like. "The CIO arose when technology

Technology

Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...

 met marketing. A CIO [encourages] consumers

Consumer

Consumer is a broad label for any individuals or households that use goods generated within the economy. The concept of a consumer occurs in different contexts, so that the usage and significance of the term may vary.-Economics and marketing:...

to accept marketing messages and become part of the marketing process." The Knowledge Channel described in the book, Fourth Generation R&D, facilitates the bi-directional dialog with customers.