The Influence of Innovation on Progress

Peter Drucker said that “the best way to predict the future is to create it.” In its 7th annual ranking of The Innovators, Bank Technology News will profile 25 people, companies and technologies doing just that—defining the future of financial services through their innovation. Such progressive thinking is giving customers unprecedented control of how, when and where financial business is conducted, and in turn, creating more demand for better, faster, cheaper solutions. If there’s an ethos that ties CIOs and technologists together, it’s the notion that the status quo poses far greater risk than not pushing forward. “Innovation or death” is the motto of Pete Cittadini, CEO of Actuate, one of the 2007 Innovators honorees.

Cittadini was in good—no, great—company. He was joined by the likes of CheckFree’s Peter Kight, Fiserv’s Jeff Yabuki, Firethorn’s Tripp Rackley, Open Solutions Inc.’s Louis Hernandez, Synovus Financial’s John Woolbright, RSA’s Art Coviello, IBM’s June Felix, Metavante’s Frank Martire and SecureWorks’ Michael Cote.

Company honors went to Bank of America Corp., RBC Financial Group, CheckFree, PrimeRevenue, Oracle Corp., Panini, Actimize, IdenTrust, Wincor Nixdorf, NCR Corp., mFoundry, VSoft, WSFS Financial Corp., Verint, Harland Financial Solutions and Bottomline Technologies.

Those ranked in 2007 sought to capitalize on opportunities—indeed, create them—through business innovation. Apple chief executive Steve Jobs once observed that “innovation has nothing to do with how many R&D dollars you have. …It’s about the people you have, how you’re led and how much you get it.”

The Innovators ranking pays tribute to those who get it.

You’ve already changed the business. Why not become one of the celebrated in 2008?