Shantanu Narayen | |
---|---|
![]() Narayen in 2016 | |
Born | [1] Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India | May 27, 1963
Citizenship | American [2] |
Alma mater | |
Title | Chairman and CEO of Adobe Inc. |
Predecessor | Bruce Chizen |
Board member of | Adobe Inc. [3] Pfizer [4] |
Honours | Padma Sri (2019) |
Shantanu Narayen (born May 27, 1963) [1] is an Indian-American business executive who has been the chairman, president, and chief executive officer (CEO) of Adobe Inc. since December 2007. [5] Before this, he was the company's president and chief operating officer since 2005. [6]
Narayen grew up in Hyderabad, India in a Telugu Hindu family. [7] He is the second son of a mother who taught American literature and a father who ran a plastics company. [8] He attended Hyderabad Public School. [9]
He earned a bachelor's degree in electronics and communication engineering from University College of Engineering, Osmania University in Hyderabad. [10] He moved to the United States to complete his education, and in 1986 received a master's degree in computer science from Bowling Green State University in Ohio. [10] [11] Later he received an MBA from the Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley. [12]
In 1986 Narayen joined a Silicon Valley start-up called Measurex Automation Systems, which made computer control systems for automotive and electronics customers. [13] [14] He then moved to Apple, where he was in senior management positions from 1989 to 1995. [1]
After Apple, he was director of desktop and collaboration products for Silicon Graphics. [10] [1] In 1996 co-founded Pictra Inc., a company that pioneered the concept of digital photo sharing over the Internet. [15] [10]
Narayen joined Adobe in 1998 as senior vice president of worldwide product development, a position he held through 2001. [1] From 2001 to 2005 he was executive vice president of worldwide products. [1]
In 2005 he was appointed president and chief operating officer. [1]
In November 2007, Adobe announced that Bruce Chizen would step down as CEO effective December 1, 2007, to be replaced by Narayen. [16]
As CEO, Narayen [17] led the transformation of the company, moving its creative and digital document software franchises – which include flagship programs such as Photoshop, Premiere Pro, and Acrobat/PDF – from the desktop to the cloud. [1] In addition, during his tenure as CEO, Adobe has entered the digital experiences category, an expansion which began with the company’s acquisition of Omniture in 2009. [18] [19]
In 2018 Adobe exceeded $100 billion in market cap and joined the Fortune 500 for the first time. [20] [21] In 2018 it also ranked No. 13 on Forbes ’ Most Innovative Companies list. [20]
In 2011, Barack Obama appointed him as a member of his Management Advisory Board. [22] Narayen is the lead independent director on the board of directors for Pfizer, and vice chairman of the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum. [23] [24]
In 2023, Narayen's total compensation from Adobe was $44.9 million, up 42% from the previous year and representing a CEO-to-median worker pay ratio of 229-to-1. [25]
In May 2011, Narayen received an honorary doctorate from his alma mater, Bowling Green State University. [26] In 2018, Narayen was ranked #12 on Fortune's "Businessperson of the Year" list, [27] and was deemed "Global Indian of the Year" in 2018 by The Economic Times of India. [23] [24] [28] In 2019, he was a recipient of India's Padma Shri award [29] and in 2022 he was the recipient of Armenia's Global High-Tech Award. [30]
Narayen lives in Palo Alto, California. [2] He met his wife Reni while at Bowling Green State University in the mid 1980s; [12] [31] she has a doctorate in clinical psychology. [32] They have two sons. [1] He once represented India in sailing at an Asian Regatta. [33] [31] He, along with Satya Nadella, has also invested in Major League Cricket to be hosted by the American Cricket Enterprises (ACE). [34]
Shantanu Narayen is chairman, president and chief executive officer of Adobe, one of the largest and most diversified software companies in the world.