Purpose- To investigate what motivates innovation management professionals to undertake a personal certification, and how such certification affects their authority and influence. The secondary purpose with this study was to collect empirical data as a research contribution to Ingrid Kihlander, researcher at the organization RISELimitation – The study focusing on innovation management professionals certified during 2021-2022. Further, in line with the purpose the study focused to a theoretical framework, and thus implicitly limited, the analysis of the empirical data to the aspects of the segment “looking good” (as describes in the theoretical framework).Research question: How does a personal certification for Innovation management professionals affect their authority and influence?Method – The method is a qualitative study based on seven interviews with innovation management professionals which has undertaken the personal certificate. Findings/Results – The results are based on the motivations to undertake certification from a general perspective and from the perspective around status and power, career progress, and financial gain. It also takes up the affects that a personal certification can have from the general perspective and from the perspective of status and power and authority and influence. Analysis/ Discussion – is based on the findings and the analysis method is triangulation where data puts against the theory followed with a discussion. Conclusion – Personal Certificate to Innovation management professionals have positive affects in terms of competence, legitimacy, credibility, and influence. Specific related to research question the affects on authority can be discussed further, but there are positive affects on influence.