Adobe has announced a major leadership transition, naming Anil Chakravarthy as its next president and chief executive officer. He will succeed longtime CEO Shantanu Narayen and assume his new position on December 1, 2026. Chakravarthy will also join Adobe’s Board of Directors as part of the leadership change.
Narayen, who has led the software company through a period of significant transformation and growth, will move into the role of executive chair. In his new position, he is expected to work closely with Chakravarthy during the transition while continuing to support Adobe’s long-term strategy and business transformation.
Announcing the decision, Narayen expressed confidence in Chakravarthy’s ability to guide the company through its next phase. He highlighted Chakravarthy’s experience as a transformational leader and pointed to his understanding of Adobe’s business, customers and product ecosystem. Narayen also said Adobe is well positioned to pursue new opportunities as artificial intelligence increasingly reshapes the technology industry.
Chakravarthy currently leads Adobe’s Customer Experience Orchestration business and worldwide field operations. He has played an important role in expanding the company’s enterprise-focused operations and strengthening its relationships with customers across different markets.
Responding to his appointment, Chakravarthy said he was excited about the opportunity to lead Adobe into its next chapter. He emphasized the company’s potential to drive growth and maintain a leading position as agentic software transforms creativity, productivity and customer experiences.
He also credited Narayen’s leadership with helping reshape Adobe’s business over the years. According to Chakravarthy, the company’s strong foundation, technology portfolio and customer-focused approach have created favorable conditions for future growth.
Chakravarthy joined Adobe in January 2020 as executive vice president and general manager of the Digital Experience business. Later that year, he took on additional responsibility for worldwide field operations serving enterprise customers across Adobe’s wider product portfolio.
In December 2021, he was promoted to president of Digital Experience and worldwide field operations. Before joining Adobe, Chakravarthy spent four years as chief executive officer of Informatica, a global enterprise cloud data management company.
The leadership change marks the beginning of a new era for Adobe as the company positions itself for continued growth in an increasingly AI-driven technology landscape.
