IIT Graduate Anil Chakravarthy Named Adobe CEO; Narayen Praises His Acumen

Adobe is getting a CEO. The company announced that Anil Chakravarthy will take over from Shantanu Narayen as President and CEO. Narayen had said in March that he would leave after 18 years leading the company. Chakravarthy will take the position on December 1. Also became part of Adobe's board of directors. This is happening at a time when investors are worried about the future of the company. The software industry is changing because of AI. The software industry is changing because of AI. The software industry is changing because of AI.

Anil Chakravarthy posted on LinkedIn saying that artificial intelligence will be leading the way in ideas. "I feel very proud and very happy about the future at Adobe. Our customers, our workers (the people in the world!) and the work we do with intelligence is what matters most, as always " he wrote. "Thank you very much to our President and CEO Shantanu Narayen and the Adobe Board of Directors for the trust they have in me. Adobe has better things coming up!"

In a statement Shantanu Narayen described Anil Chakravarthy as a "seasoned, leader who leads based on values, integrity and a deep understanding of our business." Shantanu Narayen will move into the role of Executive Chairman and work closely with Anil Chakravarthy during the transition, the company reported.

Who is Anil Chakravarthy? Anil Chakravarthy joined Adobe in January 2020— seven years ago—after working as CEO of Informatica, a cloud data management company for large organizations from 2015, to 2020.

Chakravarthy first joined Adobe as Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Digital Experience division. In September 2020 Chakravarthy took responsibility for field operations across Adobe’s entire product portfolio. In December 2021 Chakravarthy was promoted to President of Digital Experience and Global Field Operations. Recently Chakravarthy served as President of Adobe’s Customer Experience Orchestration and Global Field Operations division. Before joining Adobe Chakravarthy held leadership positions at Symantec and VeriSign. Also worked at McKinsey & Company.

The individual holds a Bachelor of Technology degree in Computer Science and Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology at Banaras Hindu University in Varanasi. The individual also holds a master’s degree and a PhD, from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The individual currently serves on the board of directors of FIS, an IT services and consulting company.

Anil Chakravarthy to Lead Adobe in the AI Era

Chakravarthy’s appointment comes as Adobe tries to stay strong in the design and creative software world. At the time fast progress in artificial intelligence brought new challenges to its markets.

The company has been adding AI into all its products. In June it increased its expected profits showing that customers want its AI-powered tools. Still some analysts are not sure if AI will have an effect on Adobe's business, over the long run.

Anil Chakravarthy has a good history of putting AI ideas into action inside Adobe's products. As the company says Chakravarthy played a role in creating its customer experience orchestration business. This business uses up-, to-the-minute data and AI to help companies offer personalised customer experiences on digital platforms.

He has also led AI-related products like Adobe CX Enterprise, GenStudio and Brand Visibility. He played a role in Adobe’s acquisitions of Workfront and Semrush. He also helped integrate both companies into Adobe’s product portfolio.

Adobe’s stock has been under pressure like many other software companies seen as at risk from AI disruption. After a rise in 2023 the share price dropped 25% in 2024 and then another 21% in 2025. Far in 2026 the stock has fallen by around 18%.

After the announcement shares fell 2% in after-hours trading. Another report showed a decline of 1.7%.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kahekashan

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Kahekashan is a passionate technophile with a keen eye for cutting-edge gadgets, emerging technologies, and everything in the digital realm. Raised in a Defence family with strong values and a background in literature, she has consistently pursued excellence in every endeavour. Her last full-time assignment involved content writing with the Indian School of Business.

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