An important role in the functioning of the economy and in the analysis of the competitiveness of companies is played by the top management echelon, represented by charismatic CEOs, who often determine the direction of company development, considering the specifics of everyday life and general organizational processes. There is a transformation of the stages of value formation, the zones of profitability are shifting, new players are emerging – all this creates a completely different ratio of shares in the industries, greatly accelerating the generation and implementation of new ideas and developments. Companies must respond to new technologies in a much riskier way and understand that the time stage of their implementation should be reduced. The article analyzes the position of the personal characteristics of CEOs, in particular, such qualities as "riskiness", and their impact on the innovative activities of companies. The object of studying this relationship is the world-class CEO as an example of successful implementation of innovation through the ability to take risks in a timely manner.