Adobe Names Anil Chakravarthy as CEO, Shantanu Narayen as Chair
Adobe's Board of Directors announced that Anil Chakravarthy, president of Adobe’s Customer Experience Orchestration division and global field operations, will serve as Adobe’s next president and chief executive officer, joining the Board of Directors on December 1, 2026.
Shantanu Narayen will move to the role of executive chair and collaborate closely with Chakravarthy to facilitate a seamless transition and assist with Adobe’s continuous transformation.
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“Adobe’s opportunity ahead is limitless with our track record in creating new market categories and world-class products. Anil is an experienced transformational leader who leads with values, integrity and a deep knowledge of our business. He has a proven record of building and delivering category-defining products that serve our broad range of customers,” says Narayen.
“I could not be more confident that Anil is the right person to lead Adobe's growth in an AI-driven era and look forward to working closely with him in my new role as executive chair.”
Frank Calderoni, Lead Independent Director of Adobe, who led the special committee overseeing the selection process says, “The Board has unanimously determined that Anil is the right leader for Adobe’s next chapter of growth. Over the last six and a half years, he has transformed and expanded Adobe’s Customer Experience Orchestration business and worldwide field operations through innovation-led growth, developing and retaining talent and carrying forward Adobe's culture and values. We conducted a rigorous selection process resulting in the appointment of an outstanding CEO.”
Chakravarthy says, "I am deeply honored to have been chosen to lead Adobe during this pivotal moment. I'm energized by the opportunity to fuel growth and drive Adobe's leadership in the next era of agentic software for creativity, productivity and customer experience. Adobe has a history of building the future — not just through our technology, but through our people and our commitment to customers”.
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“Thanks to Shantanu's exceptional leadership in transforming Adobe's business model over the decades, we are well positioned to achieve Adobe's next chapter of growth. I want to thank the Board for the confidence they've placed in me. I look forward to working closely with our employees, Shantanu and the Board of Directors to continue serving our customers and transforming Adobe in the era of AI”.
Chakravarthy started at Adobe in January 2020 as executive vice president and general manager overseeing the Digital Experience division. In September 2020, he assumed the extra duty of overseeing Adobe’s global field operations for enterprise clients with the complete range of Adobe’s offerings, encompassing creativity and productivity. In December 2021, he advanced to the position of president of Digital Experience and global field operations.
Under Chakravarthy's guidance, Adobe has emerged as a frontrunner in Customer Experience Orchestration solutions. He has spearheaded the creation of industry-leading products such as Adobe CX Enterprise, GenStudio, and Brand Visibility, which are category-defining solutions leveraging AI to provide exceptional customer experiences. He has played a key role in expanding Adobe Experience Platform and launching new product innovations such as CX Enterprise Coworker. He effectively led the acquisitions and integration of Workfront and Semrush.
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Before his current position, Chakravarthy was CEO at Informatica for four years, a worldwide leader in enterprise cloud data management. He initially became part of Informatica in 2013 as executive vice president. Prior to joining Informatica, Chakravarthy gained extensive experience in the technology sector through leadership positions at Symantec, VeriSign, and McKinsey & Company. Chakravarthy earned a Bachelor of Technology in Computer Science and Engineering from the Institute of Technology, Varanasi, India, along with a Master of Science and a Ph.D.