CXO MovesAI Leadership & Strategy
Adobe names Anil Chakravarthy as President and CEO
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Adobe has announced that Anil Chakravarthy will become the company’s next President and Chief Executive Officer, effective December 1, 2026. He will also join Adobe’s Board of Directors as part of the leadership transition.
The succession marks a new chapter for Adobe as the company continues to expand its position across creativity, productivity and customer experience while adapting its business to an increasingly AI-driven technology landscape.
Shantanu Narayen, who has led Adobe through a significant transformation of its business and product portfolio, will transition to the role of Executive Chair. He will work closely with Anil to support a smooth transition and Adobe’s ongoing transformation.
From Customer Experience to the CEO role
Anil currently serves as President of Adobe’s Customer Experience Orchestration business and worldwide field operations, responsibilities that have given him a broad view of Adobe’s enterprise business and global customer base.
He joined Adobe in January 2020 as Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Digital Experience business. Later that year, he took on responsibility for worldwide field operations serving enterprise customers across Adobe’s portfolio. In December 2021, he was promoted to President of Digital Experience and worldwide field operations.
Over the past six and a half years, Anil has played a central role in expanding Adobe’s Customer Experience Orchestration business and enterprise operations.
Building Adobe’s AI-driven customer experience business
Under Anil’s leadership, Adobe has expanded its Customer Experience Orchestration capabilities and introduced products including Adobe CX Enterprise, GenStudio and Brand Visibility.
He has also been instrumental in scaling Adobe Experience Platform and introducing newer AI-powered capabilities such as CX Enterprise Coworker. These developments reflect Adobe’s broader strategy of embedding AI into creativity, productivity and customer experience workflows.
His experience leading these businesses will be particularly relevant as Adobe moves further into what it describes as the next era of agentic software.
Experience across enterprise technology
Before joining Adobe, Anil served as CEO of Informatica for four years, following his initial appointment as an Executive Vice President at the company in 2013.
Earlier in his career, he held executive roles at Symantec and VeriSign and worked at McKinsey & Company, building experience across enterprise technology, software and business transformation.
He holds a Bachelor of Technology in Computer Science and Engineering from the Institute of Technology, Varanasi, as well as a Master of Science and Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
A leadership transition for Adobe
Anil’s appointment comes as Adobe continues to invest in AI while maintaining its leadership across creative software, digital experience and productivity.
Adobe’s Board said it conducted a rigorous selection process before unanimously determining that Anil was the right leader for the company’s next phase of growth. His track record across Adobe’s enterprise businesses, product innovation and global field operations will now form the foundation for his broader company-wide mandate.
With Shantanu moving into the Executive Chair role, Adobe will retain continuity at the board and leadership level while Anil takes responsibility for the company’s next phase.
About Adobe
Adobe is a global software company whose products span creativity, productivity and customer experience. Its portfolio includes Creative Cloud, Document Cloud and Adobe Experience Cloud, with AI increasingly integrated across its platforms and workflows.