Adobe has named Anil Chakravarthy as its next President and Chief Executive Officer, marking a major leadership transition at one of the world’s leading software companies. Chakravarthy will officially take over on December 1, 2026, and will also join Adobe’s Board of Directors.
Current CEO Shantanu Narayen, who has led Adobe for more than 18 years, will transition to the position of Executive Chair and work with Chakravarthy to ensure a smooth leadership change.
The announcement was made by Adobe on September 3, 2026.
Who Is Anil Chakravarthy?
- Anil Chakravarthy is an experienced technology executive with decades of experience across software, enterprise technology and digital transformation.
- He joined Adobe in January 2020 as Executive Vice President and General Manager of its Digital Experience business. He subsequently took responsibility for Adobe’s worldwide field operations and was promoted to President of the Digital Experience business and worldwide field operations in December 2021.
- He currently leads Adobe’s Customer Experience Orchestration business and worldwide field operations, areas increasingly driven by artificial intelligence and agentic software.
Anil Chakravarthy’s Education
Chakravarthy has a strong academic background in computer science and technology.
- Bachelor of Technology: Computer Science and Engineering, Institute of Technology, Varanasi, India
- Master of Science: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
- PhD: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
His educational background combines Indian engineering education with advanced research at MIT.
From Informatica CEO to Adobe CEO
Before joining Adobe, Chakravarthy served as CEO of Informatica, a global enterprise cloud-data-management company, for approximately four years.
He originally joined Informatica in 2013 as an Executive Vice President and Chief Product Officer before becoming CEO. Earlier in his career, he held senior positions at Symantec, VeriSign and McKinsey & Company.
His experience spans:
- Enterprise software
- Cloud data management
- Cybersecurity
- Digital experiences
- Artificial intelligence
- Customer experience technology
- Global sales and operations
Shantanu Narayen’s 18-Year Adobe Legacy
- Shantanu Narayen became Adobe’s CEO in December 2007 and has led the company for more than 18 years.
- Under his leadership, Adobe underwent a major transformation from a traditional packaged-software business into a cloud-based subscription and digital-experience company.
- Narayen announced in March 2026 that he intended to transition from the CEO role after a successor was selected. He said he would remain involved with Adobe and support the company’s next phase.
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