This paper investigates whether CEOs that have active share trading accounts engage in higher levels of corporate innovation. Prior studies show that individuals who trade on the stock market are less financially conservative. We find that this behavioural attribute is consistent over both the individual and corporate domain. Corporations with a CEO that trade invest significantly more on research and development, have higher capital expenditure and make more acquisitions. We also find that CEOs with higher portfolio turnover engage in riskier forms of corporate innovation. The findings shed light on how shareholders can better align CEO preferences with their own. We contribute to the literature by enhancing the current understanding of what key attributes and traits motivate CEOs to promote corporate innovation.