Shantanu Narayan is new CEO of Adobe Systems Inc.

Shantanu Narayan

Shantanu Narayen, 43, has taken over as chief executive officer of Adobe Systems Inc, maker of the popular Photoshop, Flash and Acrobat programmes. Before assuming this position, he was president and chief operating officer of the firm, and now retains his title as Adobe's president after joining the Adobe board in December 2007.

"Shantanu's extensive knowledge of our products and platforms, customer experience and exceptional operational leadership make him the ideal choice to lead Adobe as CEO," said Chizen. "For me personally, the time is right for a transfer of leadership and I look forward to supporting Shantanu as he takes on his new responsibilities."

"I am honored to assume the leadership of Adobe and to continue to carry on the legacy of Bruce and our founders, John and Chuck," said Narayen. "I look forward to continuing Adobe's tradition of technology leadership and innovation, and helping the company achieve its next phase of growth."

Narayen, a native of Hyderabad, India, was executive vice president of worldwide products since 2001, before which he was senior vice president of worldwide product development, where he oversaw all worldwide research and development for Adobe's products. He created Adobe's Product Technology Integration Group to focus on customer workflows, and helped to grow the Adobe India development center, making it the largest Adobe engineering site, second only to the United States.

"During the past three years, Shantanu has worked closely with me running the day-to-day operations of Adobe's global business," said Adobe's former chief executive officer Bruce Chizen. "Under his leadership, Adobe has defined and implemented the product and marketing strategies that are driving our current growth. As Adobe continues expanding into the enterprise and other new market areas, I will increase my focus on the longer term strategies that will fuel the company's future growth."

Prior to joining Adobe in 1998, Narayen co-founded Pictra Inc., a digital photo sharing software business. Previously, he was director of desktop and collaboration products at Silicon Graphics Inc. and, before that, held various senior management positions at Apple Computer, Inc.

Adobe Systems recorded revenue of $429.5 million in the fourth quarter of its fiscal year ended December 2004 as compared to $358.6 million reported for the same quarter in fiscal 2003.
Narayen has been president and COO of Adobe for almost three years. Narayen joined Adobe in 1998 as vice-president and general manager of engineering. In 1999, he was promoted to senior vice-president, and in January 2005 he became president and COO.

Narayen graduated in electronics and communications engineering from Osmania College of engineering. In the US, Narayen did his masters in computer science from Bowling Green State University and a master's degree in business administration from the Haas School of Business. A keen tennis player, he was active in Hyderabad's debating and quizzing circles. He also holds five patents against his name.

Besides Photoshop, Flash and Acrobat, Adobe's flagship products include the popular Creative Suite, which was updated in April and sells for $1,599 to $2,499. Adobe reported in September that its fiscal third-quarter profit more than doubled on a 41 per cent revenue increase, and bullish executives have predicted a sustained double-digit growth spurt. The company reported a record $851.7 million, up from $602.2 million in the third quarter of 2006. Adobe announced it expects to achieve results near the high end of its fourth quarter revenue target range of $860 million to $890 million. For fiscal year 2008, Adobe announced it is targeting annual revenue growth of approximately 13 percent.