bean counter

American  

[been koun-ter] / ˈbin ˌkaʊn tər /

Or bean-counter

noun

Sometimes Disparaging.

1. an accountant or other financial officer, often one placing undue importance on spending, financial accountability, and profit, or anyone regarded as having a reductively quantitative focus.

   If it were up to the bean counters, this company would never take risks or innovate.

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bean-counter British  

noun

1. informal an accountant

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Etymology

Origin of bean counter

An Americanism first recorded in 1970–75

Example Sentences

There are several candidates, who might fit the mould of fiercely independent bean counters.

From BBC

For everyone but the bean counters, the least important thing about an awards show is it running on time; in any case, it was only a few minutes over.

From Los Angeles Times

Two years ago the "bean counters" at the UK's top economic institutions were just about to come directly into the line of fire.

From BBC

The current CEO is a bean counter who does not seem to understand the complexity of the process and doesn’t live in Washington state, where the bulk of the work is still done.

From Seattle Times

She can understand that Boeing’s strength is in its engineering culture, not the bean counters.

From Seattle Times