Adobe has appointed Anil Chakravarthy, president of its Customer Experience Orchestration business and worldwide field operations, as the company’s next president and chief executive officer, marking one of the most significant leadership transitions in the software giant’s recent history.
The company announced that Chakravarthy will assume the CEO role and join Adobe’s Board of Directors on 1 December 2026. Current CEO Shantanu Narayen will transition to executive chair and work closely with Chakravarthy to support the leadership handover and Adobe’s ongoing transformation.
The move comes as Adobe intensifies its focus on artificial intelligence, customer experience technologies and enterprise software innovation.
Leadership succession enters next phase
According to Adobe’s announcement, Narayen described Chakravarthy as a transformational leader with deep knowledge of the business and a strong track record of delivering category-defining products.
Adobe’s Board unanimously approved the appointment following a succession process overseen by a special committee led by Frank Calderoni, the company’s Lead Independent Director.
Calderoni said Chakravarthy had expanded Adobe’s Customer Experience Orchestration business and worldwide field operations over the past six and a half years through innovation-led growth while helping preserve the company’s culture and values.
The appointment places a technology executive with extensive enterprise software experience at the centre of Adobe’s AI-driven growth strategy.
A rapid rise inside Adobe
Chakravarthy joined Adobe in January 2020 as Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Digital Experience business.
His responsibilities expanded quickly:
- January 2020: Joined Adobe to lead the Digital Experience business.
- September 2020: Took charge of worldwide field operations serving enterprise customers.
- December 2021: Promoted to president of Digital Experience and worldwide field operations.
- 2026: Named Adobe’s next president and chief executive officer.
During his tenure, Adobe said Chakravarthy helped strengthen its position in Customer Experience Orchestration solutions and drove the development of several AI-powered offerings.
Driving Adobe’s AI and enterprise ambitions
Under Chakravarthy’s leadership, Adobe launched and expanded products including:
- Adobe CX Enterprise
- GenStudio
- Brand Visibility
- Adobe Experience Platform
- CX Enterprise Coworker
Adobe credited him with helping develop AI-powered products designed to improve customer experiences and enterprise workflows.
The company also said Chakravarthy played a key role in the acquisitions and integration of Workfront and Semrush, strengthening Adobe’s capabilities in marketing, workflow management and customer experience technologies.
In his statement, Chakravarthy said he sees significant opportunities for Adobe in what he described as the next era of agentic software spanning creativity, productivity and customer experience.
Experience beyond Adobe
Before joining Adobe, Chakravarthy served as CEO of Informatica for four years. He initially joined the cloud data management company in 2013 as Executive Vice President before moving into the top leadership role.
His career also includes senior positions at:
- Symantec
- VeriSign
- McKinsey & Company
The combination of enterprise software, cybersecurity, data managementand consulting experience has given Chakravarthy broad exposure to large-scale technology businesses and digital transformation initiatives.
Academic roots and global technology credentials
Chakravarthy earned a Bachelor of Technology in Computer Science and Engineering from the Institute of Technology, Varanasi, India.
He later completed both a Master of Science degree and a PhD at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
His academic background and leadership experience across major technology companies have made him one of the most prominent Indian-origin executives in the global software industry.
What comes next for Adobe
Adobe’s leadership transition arrives as the company competes in a rapidly evolving AI landscape, where software vendors are racing to integrate generative and agentic AI capabilities into creative, productivity and customer experience platforms.
With Narayen moving to executive chair and Chakravarthy taking charge from December 2026, Adobe is positioning its next generation of leadership around AI-led product innovation, enterprise growth and customer experience transformation.
The company is scheduled to host its Q3 FY2026 earnings call on 10 September, where investors will closely watch for further details on Adobe’s strategic priorities and leadership roadmap.
