Indian-origin executive Anil Chakravarthy is set to become the next President and CEO of Adobe from December 1, 2026. His appointment adds another major name to the growing list of Indian-origin leaders heading some of the world’s biggest companies.
Adobe announced the leadership change on September 3, 2026. Chakravarthy will succeed Shantanu Narayen, who has led the company as CEO for more than 18 years. Narayen will move into the role of Executive Chair and continue working with the new CEO during the transition.
Chakravarthy currently leads Adobe’s Customer Experience Orchestration business and worldwide field operations. He joined Adobe in January 2020 after serving as CEO of enterprise software company Informatica for four years. He studied computer science at the Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University, and later earned a master’s degree and PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). news.adobe.com+1
Indian-origin leaders heading global companies
Chakravarthy joins a group of Indian-origin executives who have built successful careers and reached top leadership positions across technology, banking, healthcare, manufacturing, luxury and logistics.
Here are some of the prominent names:
1. Satya Nadella – Microsoft: Born and raised in Hyderabad, he became Microsoft’s CEO in 2014 and later took over as its chairman.
2. Sundar Pichai – Alphabet and Google: The Chennai-raised executive leads Google’s parent company, Alphabet, and became its CEO in 2019.
3. Arvind Krishna – IBM: Born in Andhra Pradesh, he became IBM’s CEO in 2020 and leads the company’s focus on cloud computing and artificial intelligence.
4. Leena Nair – Chanel: Born in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, she became the global CEO of the French luxury fashion house in 2022.
5. Raj Subramaniam – FedEx: The Kerala-born business leader became president and CEO of the global logistics company in 2022.
6. Neal Mohan – YouTube: Born in the United States and raised partly in India, he became YouTube’s CEO in 2023.
7. Vimal Kapur – Honeywell: He leads the global technology and manufacturing company.
8. Sanjay Mehrotra – Micron Technology: Born in Kanpur, he became Micron’s president and CEO in 2017.
9. Nikesh Arora – Palo Alto Networks: The Ghaziabad-born executive leads the global cybersecurity company.
10. Jayshree Ullal – Arista Networks: Born in London and raised in New Delhi, she has led the networking technology company since 2008.
11. George Kurian – NetApp: He leads the data storage and cloud management company.
12. Revathi Advaithi – Flex: She heads the global manufacturing and supply chain solutions company.
13. Vasant Narasimhan – Novartis: He leads the Switzerland-based pharmaceutical company.
14. C. S. Venkatakrishnan – Barclays: The Indian-origin banking executive leads the British financial services group.
15. Sridhar Ramaswamy – Snowflake: He became CEO of the cloud data company in 2024.
16. Shailesh Jejurikar – Procter & Gamble: Born in Mumbai, he became the company’s President and CEO in January 2026 and later took over as chairman.
17. Anil Chakravarthy – Adobe: He is set to take charge on December 1, 2026.
These leaders represent a wide range of industries, from software and artificial intelligence to banking, healthcare, consumer goods and luxury fashion. Their careers also show the growing presence of Indian-origin professionals in senior positions at major international companies. The Economic Times+4
Anil Chakravarthy’s appointment is another important addition to this list. He will take charge of Adobe at a time when artificial intelligence is changing the global software industry.
His appointment also marks a leadership transition at Adobe, with Shantanu Narayen moving to Executive Chair after nearly two decades as CEO.
The growing number of Indian-origin leaders at global companies highlights the reach of Indian talent across industries and countries.
