Adobe names Anil Chakravarthy new CEO effective Dec 1, 2026

Adobe has named Anil Chakravarthy as its new president and chief executive, effective December 1, 2026, marking a significant leadership transition for the software giant as it navigates the impact of artificial intelligence on its core creative tools. Chakravarthy, who currently leads Adobe's customer experience orchestration business and worldwide field operations, will succeed Shantanu Narayen, who will move to the role of executive chair. The announcement was made by Adobe's board of directors on September 3, 2026. The selection of Chakravarthy, who joined Adobe in January 2020, comes after a six-month search that began when Narayen announced his intention to step back from the CEO role in March. Frank Calderoni, the lead independent director who chaired the selection committee, stated that the board decided unanimously after a rigorous process. Chakravarthy's background is rooted in enterprise software and data management, having previously served as CEO of Informatica and held senior roles at Symantec and VeriSign.