Adobe is preparing for a major change at the top with Anil Chakravarthy appointed as the new President and Chief Executive Officer.
He will take over as CEO on December 1, 2026 from the long-standing CEO Shantanu Narayen.
Narayen, who has been at Adobe for 18 years, will move to the position of Executive Chair. He is going to be working closely with Chakravarthy during Adobe’s broader transformation.
Anil Chakravarthy’s Education and Career
Chakravarthy has achieved his career in consulting, enterprise software and technology management.
He obtained a Bachelor of Technology in Computer Science and Engineering from the Institute of Technology, Varanasi and earned a Master of Science and PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
His professional journey started at McKinsey & Company where he worked in the company’s Silicon Valley Business Technology Office. He later moved into technology and held senior positions at VeriSign and Symantec.
Chakravarthy served for a few years with Informatica as well. He joined the company in 2013, and eventually became Chief Executive Officer of Informatica from 2015 to 2020. During his time he helped guide Informatica’s transition to the cloud and subscription-based services.
His Journey at Adobe
Chakravarthy joined Adobe in January 2020 as Executive Vice President and General Manager of its Digital Experience business. His responsibilities were expanded over time, including oversight of Adobe’s worldwide field operations.
In his current role, he leads Adobe’s Customer Experience Orchestration business and oversees field operations worldwide including enterprise sales, professional services and customer success.
His work at Adobe has included the development and expansion of AI-powered customer experience products such as Adobe CX Enterprise, GenStudio and Brand Visibility. He has also been involved in scaling the Adobe Experience Platform and integrating acquisitions like Workfront and Semrush.
Why His Appointment Matters
Chakravarthy is taking over at a critical moment for Adobe. Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing the software industry, which presents new opportunities and challenges for established technology companies.
Adobe is now increasingly battling AI-powered platforms and design tools like Canva and Figma. So it will be hard for its AI products to sustain growth while maintaining the company’s strong brand position in the creative and enterprise software domain.
His career experience in enterprise technology and customer experience could be vital for Adobe as it expands its AI strategy.
The company has increasingly focused on generative and agentic AI and Chakravarthy already has products based on these technologies.
Narayen has expressed confidence in his successor, highlighting Chakravarthy’s experience, leadership and understanding of Adobe’s business.
With the transition planned for December, Chakravarthy will start preparing to lead one of the world’s best-known software companies into its next phase.
His appointment also marks a notable continuation of Indian-origin leadership at Adobe, following Narayen’s long tenure.
For Chakravarthy, the move represents the next phase in a technology career that has taken him from engineering studies in India to MIT, global consulting, enterprise software leadership and now the top job at Adobe.
