Who is Anil Chakravarthy? Adobe's new president, CEO, replacing Shantanu Narayen from 1 December

Software giant Adobe on Thursday (local time) announced the appointment of Anil Chakravarthy as its next president and chief executive officer (CEO), succeeding Shantanu Narayen, who announced earlier this year that he would step down from the position.

In a press release, the company said, "Adobe's Board of Directors today announced that Anil Chakravarthy, president of Adobe’s Customer Experience Orchestration business and worldwide field operations, will become Adobe’s next president and chief executive officer and join the Board of Directors effective December 1, 2026. Shantanu Narayen will transition to executive chair and work closely with Chakravarthy to ensure a smooth transition and support Adobe’s ongoing transformation."

Who is Anil Chakravarthy?

Chakravarthy, who most recently served as president of Adobe's customer experience orchestration and worldwide field operations, joined the company in January 2020 as executive vice president and general manager.

Indian-origin Chakravarthy holds a B.Tech degree in Computer Science and Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (Banaras Hindu University), following which he earned a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1995.

Before joining Adobe, Chakravarthy held several important positions during his career. Between 1995 and 2000, he worked with McKinsey & Company as its engagement manager. From 2000 to 2001, he served as the Vice President of Marketing at Logictier. In 2001, Chakravarthy joined VeriSign as its director of product management and continued in that role until 2004.

He later joined Symantec, where he worked for nearly a decade in different roles, ranging from senior director of business operations to vice president of business-critical services, eventually ending his stint as the company's EVP of Information Security.

In 2013, he joined Informatica, where he first worked as the executive VP and chief product officer and later became its CEO.

Between 2015 and 2020, Chakravarthy also served as an independent board member for USAA Federal Savings Bank in San Antonio, Texas. From 2021 to 2025, he also served as an independent board member at Ansys in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

He joined Adobe in January 2020 as the president of its customer experience orchestration business. In September 2020, he took on the additional responsibility of leading Adobe’s worldwide field operations, serving enterprise customers with the full portfolio of Adobe’s products, including creativity and productivity. In December 2021, he was promoted to president of Digital Experience and worldwide field operations.

Earlier this year, in January, he joined FIS as an independent board member.

Chakravarthy, Narayen react to leadership transition

Commenting on his appointment, Chakravarthy said, "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."

Welcoming Chakravarthy's appointment, former CEO Narayen, in a statement, said, "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. 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."