Someone regarding an idea as "theirs" because it came through them...

PasturesNew

If an idea is going ahead, it should/would've been presented at some meeting ... and I'd expect the idea to therefore come into the ownership of the Chairperson, who would then allocate an Idea Leader and team to implement it.

So, how did this person with the idea end up running it? That's not how things happen or we'd all be dreaming up ideas and going round doing them.

Somebody (higher) must have agreed "That's a good idea", got it approved and then decided whose project it was.