Although a lot has been already written and developed on the theme of business and e-business transformations failures, there still is a very high rate of failures. These failures are very high because of the problems encountered in the implementation phase of a business transformation project. Traditional business managers often lack the skills necessary for the implementation of innovation and technology; these skills are needed to complete successfully the strategically important innovation and technologies related projects. One of the most risky factors in transforming a traditional Business Environment (BE) into an innovative and dynamic BE is the role of the business and e-businessTransformation Manager (BTM). The role of such managers has not been sufficiently investigated in a holistic and educational manner. The current authors' research main goal is to define the business transformation managers' optimal profiles. The focus is on the influence of BTM's hands-on capacities, experiences, background, knowledge management and education. The BTM has to intervene in the complex process of integrating innovation in a business transformation project. The research outcomes can be applied to select and/or train BTMs in e-business environments. This industry is living highly turbulent times and transformations happen frequently, more than in any other traditional industry. In this first article of a planned series, the research background is presented.