Prime Highlights-
- Chakravarthy takes charge on December 1, bringing nearly seven years of Adobe experience across Digital Experience and field operations.
- IIT Varanasi and MIT alumnus previously led Informatica and serves on the FIS board, adding depth to Adobe’s leadership team.
Key Facts-
- Adobe appoints Anil Chakravarthy as president and CEO, aiming to strengthen its position through the AI era.
- Shantanu Narayen transitions to executive chair, guiding Adobe’s leadership handover after 18 years at the helm.
Background-
Adobe has named Anil Chakravarthy as its new president and chief executive officer, succeeding Shantanu Narayen effective December 1. Narayen, who plans to step aside after 18 years leading the company, will move into the role of executive chair and guide the transition alongside Chakravarthy.
Chakravarthy joined Adobe nearly seven years ago as executive vice-president and general manager of its Digital Experience business, later overseeing worldwide field operations. He advanced to president of Digital Experience and worldwide field operations, most recently leading Adobe’s customer experience orchestration business alongside global field operations. He will join Adobe’s board as part of the appointment.
Narayen described Chakravarthy as an experienced transformational leader who leads with values, integrity and deep knowledge of the business. In a LinkedIn post, Chakravarthy expressed excitement for the opportunity ahead, emphasizing Adobe’s customers, employees and AI innovation as continuing priorities, and thanked Narayen and the board for their confidence in him.
A graduate of the Indian Institute of Technology (Banaras Hindu University) Varanasi, Chakravarthy also holds a master’s degree and doctorate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Before Adobe, he served as CEO of Informatica and held senior roles at Symantec, VeriSign and McKinsey & Company. He sits on the board of FIS.
Chakravarthy steps into the role having helped build Adobe’s AI-powered customer experience orchestration business and led products including Adobe CX Enterprise, GenStudio and Brand Visibility, positioning Adobe strongly as artificial intelligence reshapes the software industry.