o ‧ rig ‧ i ‧ na ‧ tor /əˈrɪdʒəneɪtə, əˈrɪdʒɪneɪtə $ -ər/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ origin , ↑ original , ↑ originality , ↑ originator ; verb : ↑ originate ; adverb : ↑ originally ; adjective : ↑ original ≠ UNORIGINAL ]
the person who first has the idea for something and starts it SYN initiator
originator of
Professor Adams was the originator of the project.