A Changing of the Guard at Adobe
Adobe is preparing for a major leadership shift. The company announced that Anil Chakravarthy, currently serving as the president of Adobe’s customer experience orchestration business and worldwide field operations, will become the company’s next President and CEO on December 1, 2026. He will also join the board of directors.
Shantanu Narayen, the long-standing CEO who has guided Adobe through decades of change, will move into the role of Executive Chair. Narayen will work closely with Chakravarthy to ensure a smooth transition, underscoring the company’s commitment to continuity while embracing the next phase of its digital transformation.
Who is Anil Chakravarthy?
Chakravarthy brings a wealth of technical and leadership experience to the role. His journey to the top of the software giant began in Bengaluru, moving through an elite academic path that included an IIT (BHU) Varanasi degree and a Ph.D. from the MIT Media Lab. Before joining Adobe in 2020, he held key roles at McKinsey, VeriSign, Symantec, and served as CEO of Informatica from 2015 to 2020.
- Executive experience at Informatica, Symantec, and VeriSign.
- Deep background in enterprise software, cloud-based systems, and cybersecurity.
- Strategic focus on AI-driven customer experience platforms at Adobe since 2020.
- Academic foundation in computer science and research at MIT.
Strategic Focus in the AI Era
The leadership change arrives as Adobe works to solidify its position in the competitive AI market. Under his previous mandate, Chakravarthy was instrumental in scaling the company’s enterprise and AI-driven customer experience offerings. Investors and industry analysts are looking to this transition to see how Adobe will continue to balance its legacy creative tools with the aggressive integration of generative AI.
The leadership transition comes as Adobe looks towards its next phase of growth across AI, creativity, productivity and customer experience.
— Corporate Announcement