Adobe has named Anil Chakravarthy as its next President and Chief Executive Officer, effective December 1, 2026, as longtime CEO Shantanu Narayen transitions to Executive Chair.
Chakravarthy will also join Adobe’s Board of Directors when he takes over as CEO. Narayen will remain closely involved with the company in his new role and work with Chakravarthy to support the leadership transition and Adobe’s ongoing transformation.
The appointment follows a selection process led by a special committee of Adobe’s Board. The Board unanimously selected Chakravarthy to lead the company through its next phase, with a particular focus on growth in an increasingly AI-driven software market.
Chakravarthy currently serves as President of Adobe’s Customer Experience Orchestration business and worldwide field operations, giving him responsibility for a significant portion of Adobe’s enterprise strategy and customer relationships.
He joined Adobe in January 2020 as Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Digital Experience business.
In September 2020, Chakravarthy also assumed responsibility for Adobe’s worldwide field operations, serving enterprise customers across Adobe’s broader portfolio of creativity, productivity and digital experience products.
He was promoted in December 2021 to President of Digital Experience and worldwide field operations.
Under his leadership, Adobe has expanded its Customer Experience Orchestration business and developed products including Adobe CX Enterprise, GenStudio and Brand Visibility, with the company increasingly integrating artificial intelligence across its customer experience portfolio.
Chakravarthy has also played a major role in scaling Adobe Experience Platform and introducing newer products such as CX Enterprise Coworker.
He was involved in Adobe’s acquisitions and integrations of Workfront and Semrush, transactions that expanded the company’s enterprise marketing, workflow and digital intelligence capabilities.
Before joining Adobe, Chakravarthy spent four years as CEO of Informatica, an enterprise cloud data management company.
He originally joined Informatica in 2013 as Executive Vice President.
Earlier in his career, Chakravarthy held senior roles at Symantec, VeriSign and McKinsey & Company.
He holds a Bachelor of Technology in Computer Science and Engineering from the Institute of Technology in Varanasi, India, along with a Master’s degree and Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Chakravarthy’s promotion comes as Adobe continues to reposition its product portfolio around artificial intelligence and agentic software spanning creativity, productivity and customer experience.
Adobe said Narayen’s move to Executive Chair is intended to provide continuity as Chakravarthy assumes operational leadership of the company.
Narayen has led Adobe through major changes in its business model, including the company’s shift toward subscription software and cloud-based services.
Adobe is scheduled to report its third-quarter fiscal 2026 earnings on September 10, shortly after announcing the leadership transition.
KEY QUOTES:
“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,” said 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.”
Shantanu Narayen, President and CEO of Adobe
“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.”
Frank Calderoni, Lead Independent Director of Adobe
“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. 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.”
Anil Chakravarthy, Incoming President and CEO of Adobe
