Adobe names Anil Chakravarthy CEO, with Shantanu Narayen as executive chair

Adobe named Anil Chakravarthy its next president and chief executive officer on Sept. 3, setting a Dec. 1 start date for the Adobe Anil Chakravarthy CEO transition. For shareholders, the key detail is that Shantanu Narayen will remain at the company as executive chair rather than leave outright.

Chakravarthy will also join Adobe's board when he takes over, the company said. He currently leads Adobe's Customer Experience Orchestration business and its worldwide field operations.

Narayen announced in March that he planned to step down as CEO, CNBC reported. Adobe said he will work with Chakravarthy during the handover and support the company's ongoing transformation in his executive-chair role.

When does Anil Chakravarthy become Adobe CEO?

Chakravarthy becomes Adobe's president and CEO on Dec. 1, 2026. The appointment was announced by Adobe's board on Sept. 3.

Adobe lead independent director Frank Calderoni said a special committee managed the CEO selection process. According to the company, the board unanimously chose Chakravarthy after a process Calderoni described as rigorous.

Chakravarthy's Adobe and technology background

Chakravarthy joined Adobe in January 2020 to run the Digital Experience business as executive vice president and general manager, Adobe said. In September that year, he added responsibility for worldwide field operations. He was promoted in December 2021 to president of Digital Experience and worldwide field operations.

Adobe's leadership biography says his current field-operations remit includes enterprise sales, professional services and customer success. Before Adobe, he served as Informatica's CEO for four years. His earlier career included executive roles at Symantec and VeriSign, plus work at McKinsey & Company, according to Adobe.

In Adobe's announcement, Chakravarthy said he wants to advance the company's position in what he called the next era of agentic software across creativity, productivity and customer experience. Adobe framed the leadership appointment as part of its growth plans in an AI-driven period.

What investors can watch next

Adobe is scheduled to report fiscal third-quarter 2026 results on Sept. 10, according to the company. The event is the next scheduled opportunity for management to address investors after the succession announcement.

Adobe shares fell about 2% in extended trading after the news, CNBC reported. That market move was an immediate reaction and does not establish how investors will assess the leadership change over time.

This story draws on original reporting from CNBC.