Adobe has appointed Anil Chakravarthy as its next president and chief executive officer, marking a major change at the top of the software company. Chakravarthy will officially assume the role on December 1, 2026, and will also join Adobe’s board of directors.
Shantanu Narayen, who has served as Adobe’s CEO since 2007, will move into the position of executive chair. He will continue working closely with Chakravarthy during the leadership transition and support the company as it moves into its next phase.
The appointment was announced by Adobe on September 3, 2026. Narayen had earlier announced plans to step down from the CEO position after more than 18 years in the role.
Narayen leaves behind an 18-year CEO tenure
Narayen joined Adobe in January 1998 as vice president and general manager of its engineering technology group. He later became president and chief operating officer in 2005 before taking over as CEO in December 2007. He was appointed chairman of Adobe’s board in 2017.
During his time as CEO, Narayen oversaw Adobe’s transformation toward a cloud-based subscription business and its expansion across creativity, productivity and digital experiences. The company has also placed artificial intelligence at the centre of its product strategy in recent years.
With his move to executive chair, Narayen will remain involved with Adobe while Chakravarthy takes responsibility for the company’s day-to-day leadership.
Chakravarthy brings nearly seven years at Adobe
Chakravarthy joined Adobe in January 2020 as executive vice president and general manager of its Digital Experience business. He later took on responsibility for worldwide field operations serving enterprise customers across Adobe’s product portfolio.
In December 2021, he was promoted to president of Digital Experience and worldwide field operations. In January 2026, Adobe appointed him president of its Customer Experience Orchestration business, while he continued overseeing worldwide field operations.
In his current role, Chakravarthy has been responsible for Adobe’s customer experience orchestration operations and global field activities. The company has credited his leadership with the expansion of its customer experience business and the development of AI-focused products.
From Informatica to Adobe’s top job
Before joining Adobe, Chakravarthy spent four years as chief executive officer of Informatica, an enterprise cloud data management company. He originally joined Informatica in 2013 as an executive vice president.
His earlier career also included senior roles at Symantec and VeriSign, as well as experience with McKinsey & Company. His background spans enterprise software, technology and business strategy.
Chakravarthy completed a Bachelor of Technology in Computer Science and Engineering in India before earning a master’s degree and PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
AI becomes a central challenge for the incoming CEO
Chakravarthy will take charge at a time when artificial intelligence is rapidly changing the software industry. Adobe has been investing heavily in AI-powered features across its creativity, productivity and customer experience products as the technology changes how users create and manage digital content.
In a LinkedIn post following the announcement, Chakravarthy described himself as “Honored and incredibly excited for what’s ahead at Adobe” and highlighted customers, employees and AI innovation as priorities for his tenure.
Adobe shares remain under pressure
The leadership transition also comes as Adobe’s stock faces continued pressure from investors concerned about the impact of generative AI on established software companies.
Adobe shares declined about 21% in 2025 and were down roughly 18% in 2026 through the time of the announcement. The stock also fell around 1.7% in after-hours trading following news of the leadership change.
For Chakravarthy, the challenge will be to build on Adobe’s existing position while keeping the company competitive as AI continues to reshape software, digital content creation and customer experience.
His appointment represents a significant transition for Adobe, but Narayen’s move to executive chair means the company will retain his experience and involvement as the new CEO takes over in December.
Also Read: Former Apple Engineers Build Lyte to Give Robots Real-Time 4D Perception
