Adobe has appointed Anil Chakravarthy as its next president and chief executive officer, marking a leadership change at the software giant after Shantanu Narayen's 18-year tenure at the helm.
Chakravarthy will take charge on December 1 and will also join Adobe's Board of Directors. Narayen, who joined Adobe in 1998, will move into the role of executive chair.
From India to the global technology industry
Chakravarthy joined Adobe in January 2020 as executive vice president and general manager of its Digital Experience business. Later that year, he also took charge of worldwide field operations serving Adobe's enterprise customers.
He was promoted to president of Digital Experience and worldwide field operations in December 2021. He currently leads Adobe's Customer Experience Orchestration business and worldwide field operations.
Before Adobe, Chakravarthy spent four years as CEO of Informatica. He had joined the enterprise cloud data management company in 2013 as an executive vice president.
His earlier career included executive positions at Symantec and VeriSign, as well as a stint at McKinsey & Company.
Academic background
Chakravarthy studied computer science and engineering at the Institute of Technology, Varanasi, where he earned a Bachelor of Technology degree.
He later moved to the US for higher studies, earning a Master of Science and Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
His work at Adobe
Adobe said Chakravarthy has overseen the expansion of its Customer Experience Orchestration business through innovation-led growth. His responsibilities have included products such as Adobe CX Enterprise, GenStudio and Brand Visibility, which use AI in customer experience applications.
He has also helped scale Adobe Experience Platform and supported product developments including CX Enterprise Coworker. Adobe credited him with championing the acquisition and integration of Workfront and Semrush.
On taking over as CEO, Chakravarthy said he sees the transition as an important moment for Adobe and intends to focus on growth and the company's position in agentic software.
"I want to thank the Board for the confidence they've placed in me. I look forward to working closely with our employees, Shantanu and the Board of Directors to continue serving our customers and transforming Adobe in the era of AI," he added.