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Shantanu Narayen

Chair and Chief Executive Officer at ADOBE
Board
Since December 2007
Age
61 years
Education
Holds a B.S. in Electronics Engineering from Osmania University, an M.S. in Computer Science from Bowling Green State University, and an M.B.A. from the Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley.
Tenure
Joined Adobe in January 1998 and progressed through roles including Vice President and General Manager, Senior Vice President, Executive Vice President, President and Chief Operating Officer, then was appointed Chief Executive Officer in December 2007 and later became Chair in January 2017.

Also at ADOBE

AC
Anil Chakravarthy
President, Digital Experience
DD
Daniel Durn
Chief Financial Officer and EVP, Finance
DW
David Wadhwani
President, Digital Media

About

Shantanu Narayen, aged 61 as of January 2025, was born in India and built a robust academic foundation with degrees in Electronics Engineering, Computer Science, and Business Administration. His early academic pursuits laid the groundwork for a career marked by innovative leadership and strategic vision.

His professional journey at Adobe began in January 1998 when he joined as Vice President and General Manager of the Engineering Technology Group. Over the following years, he embraced increasing responsibilities, progressing from Senior Vice President of Worldwide Products in January 1999 to Executive Vice President in March 2001, then to President and Chief Operating Officer in January 2005. His appointment as Chief Executive Officer in December 2007 marked a pivotal moment, leading the company through transformative changes, including the adoption of a cloud-based subscription model and redefining digital marketing strategies.

Beyond his contributions to Adobe, his extensive experience includes serving on boards—most notably as the Lead Independent Director at Pfizer Inc.—and previous roles at leading technology companies such as Apple and Silicon Graphics. These experiences underscore his broad impact within the technology sector and strengthen his reputation as a visionary leader who has helped redefine industry standards.

$ADBE Performance Under Shantanu Narayen

Past Roles

OrganizationRoleDate RangeDetails
Adobe (ADBE) President and Chief Operating Officer Jan 2005 - Dec 2007 Promoted in January 2005
Adobe (ADBE) Executive Vice President, Worldwide Product Marketing and Development Mar 2001 - Jan 2005 Promoted in March 2001
Adobe (ADBE) Senior Vice President, Worldwide Products Jan 1999 - Mar 2001 Promoted in January 1999
Adobe (ADBE) Vice President and General Manager of the Engineering Technology Group Jan 1998 - Jan 1999 Joined Adobe in January 1998

External Roles

OrganizationRoleDate Range
Pfizer Inc. Lead Independent Director N/A

Fixed Compensation

Data from  FY 2024
Component NameAmountPayment ScheduleAdditional Details ( for Base Salary; for Other Compensation)
Base Salary$1,500,000AnnualRemained unchanged from 2023
All Other Compensation$1,601,047AnnualIncludes Deferred Compensation Plan Contributions ($2,866,401), Aggregate Earnings ($3,000,103), and other benefits

Performance Compensation

Data from  FY 2024

Annual Cash Incentive

MetricTargetActual/ResultAdditional Details ( )
Revenue$21.40 billion$21.51 billion (100% performance)Achieved required performance; 90% threshold for payout
Non-GAAP Diluted EPS$17.80$18.42 (100% performance)Achievement met all targets
Corporate Performance ResultN/A98% (after 2% downward adjustment)Adjusted to exclude foreign currency fluctuation effects
Target Cash Incentive$3,000,000$2,940,000Set at 200% of Base Salary, reflecting performance

Performance Share Awards

Award TypeThreshold (# shares)Target (# shares)Maximum (# shares)Grant DateGrant Date Fair ValueVesting ConditionsEvaluation PeriodAdditional Details ( )
2024 PSP10,22831,47462,9481/24/2024$21,044,970Based on achieving TSR (50%) and Net New Sales (50%) goals; vests on the later of the third anniversary of the Vesting Commencement Date or Certification DateCalendar years 2024-2026 (TSR) and Fiscal years 2024-2026 (Net New Sales)Weighted average grant date stock price of $645.40
2023 PSP2,18913,68727,3741/24/2024$8,300,892Vesting tied to performance conditions similar to 2024 PSPSame as abovePart of the net new sales goal awards
2022 PSP1,2487,80315,6061/24/2024$4,732,363Vesting tied to performance conditions similar to 2024 PSPSame as abovePart of the net new sales goal awards
RSUN/AN/AN/A1/24/2024$12,270,910Standard RSU vesting schedule (details not explicitly provided)N/AConstitutes 30% of total target equity awards

This section covers the performance compensation for 2024 including both the Annual Cash Incentive and the Performance Share Awards. The Annual Cash Incentive is based on strict revenue and EPS performance metrics with a payout threshold of 90% and a target incentive of $3,000,000, while the Performance Share Awards are split between relative TSR and net new sales goals, with detailed share thresholds, targets, and maximums as shown above.

Interviews

Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen On India & Why He Is 'Thrilled' With AI Adoption | WAVES 2025 | CNBC TV18 thumbnail

Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen On India & Why He Is 'Thrilled' With AI Adoption | WAVES 2025 | CNBC TV18

CNBC-TV18
6:26 min
May 1, 2025
Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen talks Q1 results, AI, and tariffs thumbnail

Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen talks Q1 results, AI, and tariffs

CNBC Television
5:31 min
Mar 12, 2025
Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen at WAVES Summit | AI & The Future of Advertising thumbnail

Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen at WAVES Summit | AI & The Future of Advertising

DD India
9:35 min
May 1, 2025
Shantanu Narayen - CEO of Adobe  | Podcast | In Good Company | Norges Bank Investment Management thumbnail

Shantanu Narayen - CEO of Adobe | Podcast | In Good Company | Norges Bank Investment Management

Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen: Era of AI is accelerating personalization thumbnail

Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen: Era of AI is accelerating personalization

CNBC Television
3:56 min
Mar 19, 2025
How Adobe is leveraging AI (with CEO & Chair Shantanu Narayen) | Masters of Scale thumbnail

How Adobe is leveraging AI (with CEO & Chair Shantanu Narayen) | Masters of Scale

Masters of Scale
30:34 min
Feb 28, 2025
Shantanu Narayen, Adobe: Embracing AI to Enhance Efficiency thumbnail

Shantanu Narayen, Adobe: Embracing AI to Enhance Efficiency

Morgan Stanley
15:00 min
Sep 26, 2024
2024 was a great year, strong close to Q4, says Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen thumbnail

2024 was a great year, strong close to Q4, says Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen

CNBC Television
4:12 min
Dec 11, 2024
Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen: 'We had a very strong Q3 across all aspects of the business' thumbnail

Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen: 'We had a very strong Q3 across all aspects of the business'

CNBC Television
3:33 min
Sep 12, 2024
Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen on generative A.I. partnership with Google's Bard thumbnail

Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen on generative A.I. partnership with Google's Bard

CNBC Television
6:30 min
May 15, 2023
Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen: Firefly adoption in Photoshop and Illustrator 'pretty good' thumbnail

Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen: Firefly adoption in Photoshop and Illustrator 'pretty good'

CNBC Television
5:25 min
Mar 14, 2024
CEO Shantanu Narayen On The Software Major's Road Ahead | The Adobe Exclusive | Young Turks thumbnail

CEO Shantanu Narayen On The Software Major's Road Ahead | The Adobe Exclusive | Young Turks

CNBC-TV18
36:58 min
Jun 19, 2024
Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen: People have been seeing a lot of spend in AI and infrastructure thumbnail

Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen: People have been seeing a lot of spend in AI and infrastructure

CNBC Television
8:29 min
Jun 14, 2024
Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen on new AI tools: For us, it's about driving 'responsible' innovation thumbnail

Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen on new AI tools: For us, it's about driving 'responsible' innovation

CNBC Television
7:11 min
Feb 20, 2024
The Moment with Ryan Patel: Featuring Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen | HP thumbnail

The Moment with Ryan Patel: Featuring Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen | HP

HP
6:41 min
Oct 26, 2023
Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen says Firefly A.I. is a 'creative co-pilot' for Photoshop users thumbnail

Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen says Firefly A.I. is a 'creative co-pilot' for Photoshop users

CNBC Television
5:07 min
May 23, 2023