Narayen grew up in Hyderabad, India in a TeluguHindu 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]
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]
Adobe
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]
Shantanu Narayen at U.S Consulate General Hamburg, 2019.
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]
Honors and awards
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]
Personal life
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]
^"Leaders". Retrieved March 26, 2020. Shantanu Narayen is chairman, president and chief executive officer of Adobe, one of the largest and most diversified software companies in the world.
