From IIT-BHU to Adobe CEO: Who is Anil Chakravarthy, Shantanu Narayen’s successor?

Adobe has named Anil Chakravarthy as its next president and chief executive officer, setting up a leadership change at one of the world’s biggest software companies as artificial intelligence reshapes the technology industry.

Chakravarthy, who currently heads Adobe’s Customer Experience Orchestration business and worldwide field operations, will take over as president and CEO on December 1, 2026. He will also join Adobe’s board of directors.

Current CEO Shantanu Narayen will become executive chair and work with Chakravarthy to ensure a smooth transition. Adobe’s board said it unanimously selected Chakravarthy following a search overseen by lead independent director Frank Calderoni.

Narayen has led Adobe for nearly two decades.

Who is Anil Chakravarthy?

Chakravarthy is an Indian-origin technology executive whose career has taken him from engineering and management consulting to the top ranks of some of the world’s biggest enterprise software companies.

He joined Adobe in January 2020 as executive vice president and general manager of its Digital Experience business. In September that year, he also assumed responsibility for Adobe’s worldwide field operations, including enterprise sales, professional services and customer success across the company’s wider product portfolio.

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In December 2021, he was promoted to president of Digital Experience and worldwide field operations. Adobe says Chakravarthy has helped build the company’s customer experience business into a leader in the market. During his tenure, he has been associated with products and platforms aimed at helping businesses create, manage and personalise customer experiences at scale.

He was also involved in the integration of Workfront, which Adobe acquired in 2020 to strengthen its work management capabilities. Adobe has subsequently expanded its enterprise offering with products including GenStudio and Brand Visibility.

From IIT-BHU to MIT

He earned a Bachelor of Technology in Computer Science and Engineering from the Institute of Technology, Varanasi, now known as IIT (BHU) Varanasi. He then moved to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he obtained a Master of Science and a PhD.

Chakravarthy joined enterprise cloud data-management company Informatica in 2013 as executive vice president and chief product officer.

He went on to become the company’s CEO, a position he held from 2015 to 2020 before moving to Adobe.

Before Informatica, Chakravarthy spent more than nine years at cybersecurity company Symantec, where he held several leadership positions. His roles included senior responsibilities across information security and other parts of the business. Before Symantec, he worked at VeriSign, where he was a director of product management focused on enterprise security services.

He began his professional career at consulting firm McKinsey & Company, working as an engagement manager and later moving into technology-focused leadership work.

Why his AI experience matters

Chakravarthy is taking over Adobe at a time when AI is changing the way consumers search, create content and interact with businesses.

His current Customer Experience Orchestration portfolio covers areas including brand visibility, content supply chains and customer engagement. Adobe says the business is designed to help brands deliver personalised experiences at scale, increasingly using AI and real-time data.

That puts Chakravarthy close to one of the biggest strategic shifts underway at Adobe.

In announcing the succession, Chakravarthy said he was looking forward to advancing Adobe’s work in “agentic software” across creativity, productivity and customer experience. Adobe CEO Narayen described him as a transformational leader with deep knowledge of the company and a record of building products and businesses.

What does his appointment mean for Adobe?

The succession comes as Adobe seeks to demonstrate that its AI investments can translate into durable growth while protecting the businesses that built its position in software.

For years, Adobe’s strength has rested on products such as Photoshop, Acrobat and its wider Creative Cloud and Document Cloud ecosystems. Its newer Digital Experience business has given the company another major growth engine by helping enterprises manage digital interactions with customers.

When will Anil Chakravarthy become Adobe CEO?

Chakravarthy will formally become Adobe’s president and CEO on December 1, 2026.

Narayen will become executive chair from the same date and continue working with Chakravarthy and the board during the transition. Adobe is also scheduled to report its third-quarter fiscal 2026 results on September 10, making the leadership change one of the key issues facing investors alongside the company’s financial performance and AI strategy.