Wall Street Journal recently unveiled its 2023 list of highest-paid CEOs in the US, and 17 (out of the Top 500) people were of Indian descent. This includes Shantanu Narayen, who is the CEO of Adobe Inc. The tech entrepreneur is the 11th highest-paid CEO in the US in 2023, and the second highest-paid Indian-origin CEO, just behind Nikesh Arora of Palo Alto Networks who ranks second overall…
Meet Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen
Shantanu Narayen is the Chairman and CEO of Adobe, the multinational computer software company headquartered in San Jose, California. According to the Economic Times, the IT company has major development operations in India, including Noida and Bengaluru. Adobe, according to the company report, had a revenue of $19.41 billion (approximately Rs 1.6 lakh crore) in 2023.
Shantanu Narayen joined Adobe in 1998 as Vice President - Worldwide Product Development and General Manager - Engineering Technology group until 2001. From 2001 to 2005, Narayen was promoted as Executive Vice President - Worldwide Products. He became President and COO in 2005, before replacing Bruce Chizen as the new CEO of Adobe in 2007. In 2017, Shantanu Narayen became Chairman of the Board.
Shantanu Narayen’s prior stint at Apple
Before joining Adobe, Shantanu Narayen worked with Apple from 1989 to 1995. The 60-year-old businessman held senior management positions in a product development capacity during his time at the tech company. In 1996, Shantanu co-founded Pictra, a photo-sharing startup, which pioneered the digital photo-sharing concept on the Internet. Notably, Narayen is a part of Pfizer's Board of Directors as Lead Independent Director.
Shantanu Narayen’s educational qualifications and family life
Shantanu Narayen hails from an illustrious family in Hyderabad. His his mother was a Literature professor and his father ran a plastics company. The businessman holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering from the University College of Engineering, Osmania University (UCE), Hyderabad.
He then moved to the US for further education and holds a Master’s Degree in Computer Science from Bowling Green State University, Ohio, and an MBA from Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley. Shantanu currently holds five patents and is a recipient of the Padma Shri in 2019. In 2011, Narayen was appointed a member of then-US President Barack Obama’s Management Advisory Board.
Shantanu Narayen is married to his university friend Reni, who has a doctorate in clinical psychology. The couple are parents to two sons.
What is Shantanu Narayen’s net worth?
According to the Hurun List of 2022 and Financial Express, Shantanu Narayen’s massive net worth stands at Rs 3,800 crore. As one of the highest-paid CEOs in the US, Narayen earned $44.93 million (approximately Rs 373 crore) in 2023.