Filip Lestan is a PhD candidate at Nord Business School, Norway. His work bridges theory and practice, tackling such questions as: Why do firms innovate? How do they do it? What impact does it have? Mr. Lestan’s research explores “stylized facts” of how CEOs, boards, and firm-level capabilities shape innovation in firms. In 2023, he was awarded an innovation fellowship by the Government Office of Slovakia, co-developing a national blueprint for living labs to boost Slovakia’s competitiveness. As a member of the Expert Working Group of the Research and Innovation Authority under the Government Office of Slovakia, Mr. Lestan contributed to the national research and innovation strategy. He has held visiting positions at London Business School, UK; University of Pretoria, South Africa; and UNICAMP, Brazil. He can can be reached at filip.lestan@nord.no.