Who is Anil Chakravarthy? From Bengaluru and IIT-BHU to Adobe CEO
Adobe is preparing for a change at the top, with Indian-origin executive Anil Chakravarthy set to become the company’s next president and chief executive officer on December 1, 2026.
Chakravarthy currently leads Adobe’s Customer Experience Orchestration business and worldwide field operations. He will succeed Shantanu Narayen, who is stepping down as CEO after more than 18 years and will move into the role of executive chair.
The leadership transition comes at a critical point for Adobe as artificial intelligence changes software, content creation and customer engagement. The company is also facing growing competition from AI-powered products and platforms, including Canva, Anthropic and OpenAI.
From Bengaluru’s Basavanagudi to MIT
Chakravarthy grew up in Basavanagudi, one of Bengaluru’s older neighbourhoods. He completed his pre-university studies in the city between 1983 and 1985 before moving to Varanasi to study computer science at the Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University, now known as IIT (BHU) Varanasi.
At 21, he moved to the US for higher studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He earned a master’s degree and later a PhD, completing his doctorate in 1995.
Chakravarthy has described that phase of his life as a transition from aspiring to be a scientist to wanting to become a businessman.
A career spanning consulting, cybersecurity and enterprise software
Chakravarthy began his career at McKinsey & Company before moving into the technology industry.
His early corporate experience included roles at Logictier and VeriSign. At VeriSign, he worked in product management focused on enterprise security services.
He subsequently spent almost a decade at Symantec, joining the cybersecurity company in 2004. He held several leadership positions and eventually became executive vice president of Information Security. His responsibilities included engineering, product management and operations across a broad security portfolio.
His time at Symantec also helped shape his ambitions beyond engineering. In a 2017 CNBC podcast, Chakravarthy recalled that then-CEO John Thompson gave him an opportunity to manage services, taking him outside his engineering background.
That experience convinced him that gaining exposure to different parts of a business would be important if he wanted to eventually lead a company.
Chakravarthy joined enterprise cloud data-management company Informatica in 2013 as executive vice president and chief product officer. He became CEO in 2015 and remained in the position until 2020.
His connection with Adobe developed through Informatica’s partnership with the software company, particularly around Adobe Experience Platform and data integration.
Chakravarthy joined Adobe in January 2020 as executive vice president and general manager of its Digital Experience business. Later that year, he also took responsibility for worldwide field operations, covering enterprise customers across Adobe’s broader product portfolio.
In December 2021, he became president of Digital Experience and worldwide field operations.
What has Chakravarthy done at Adobe?
At Adobe, Chakravarthy has been closely involved in the company’s push into customer experience and AI-powered enterprise software.
His Customer Experience Orchestration business focuses on helping companies use real-time data and AI to create more personalised experiences across digital channels.
He has overseen the development of products and initiatives including Adobe CX Enterprise, GenStudio and Brand Visibility, while also helping expand Adobe Experience Platform.
His work has increasingly centred on agentic AI, with businesses using AI agents for tasks ranging from content production to personalised customer interactions. Chakravarthy has also played a role in Adobe’s acquisitions of Workfront and Semrush and their integration into the company’s wider portfolio.
Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen has pointed to Chakravarthy’s experience in developing products and businesses as a reason for his selection.
Why AI will be central to his tenure
Chakravarthy will take charge as Adobe navigates a technology market being reshaped by artificial intelligence.
Adobe’s traditional strengths include products such as Photoshop, Acrobat and the wider Creative Cloud and Document Cloud ecosystems. Its Digital Experience business has also become an important part of its enterprise offering.
Chakravarthy has said he wants to advance Adobe’s work in agentic software across creativity, productivity and customer experience.
His current portfolio gives him direct experience with several of these areas, particularly AI-powered customer engagement, content supply chains and brand visibility.
Chakravarthy will formally take over as Adobe’s president and CEO on December 1, 2026. He will also join the company’s board of directors.
On the same date, Narayen will become executive chair. He is expected to work with Chakravarthy during the transition and support Adobe’s ongoing transformation.
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First Published on September 5, 2026, 10:46:02 IST
