Shantanu Narayen: The Man Behind Adobe’s Success!

The Indians have always led from the front when it comes to entrepreneurship. With various big companies like Google and Microsoft being led by Indians, it is no doubt that India is a hub of leaders. Well, let us talk about one of the most prestigious brands, Adobe Inc. You might be surprised to know that the CEO of the company is an Indian too. Meet Mr. Shantanu Narayen, the man behind Adobe’s success, CEO of Adobe since 2007.

Initial Days of Shantanu Narayen
Why is Shantanu Narayen's Story Important?
Adobe Under Shantanu Narayen
Leadership Style of Shantanu Narayen
Major Accomplishments by Shantanu Narayen
Wise Words From Shantanu Narayen

Initial Days of Shantanu Narayen

Shantanu Narayen grew up in Hyderabad. To pursue a high school education, he went to Hyderabad Public School in Hyderabad. Later on, he earned a bachelor’s degree in Electronics and Communication from the University College of Engineering, Osmania University in Hyderabad. After that, Shantanu went on to pursue an MBA from the Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley. Additionally, Shantanu also holds a Master’s degree in computer science from Bowling Green State University in Ohio.

Much like every other student, Shantanu had common dreams. Initially, he wanted to become a journalist. However, his life took him to a better place he never dreamt of. According to Shantanu, to achieve goals we often have to work hard. As per Shantanu, the qualities that emerge through these efforts are recognized by our destiny and the universe selects us for a different purpose. However, that doesn’t mean we must exempt ourselves from dreaming about what we want. It is all because of the dreams, the best come out to the world.

Bharat Petroleum - The Leading Oil and Gas Producer in India

Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) is an Indian Government-owned company. Read more about its founders, business, revenue, shareholders, etc.

StartupTalkyShalini Rath

Why is Shantanu Narayen's Story Important?

Shantanu was a common man who grew up in a common neighbourhood in Hyderabad. His mother was a teacher of American Literature and his father ran a Plastic Company. Before joining Adobe, he began his career with Apple.

Previously, Shantanu served as a director for Silicon Graphics in desktop and collaboration products. He is also a co-founder of the company Pictra Inc. This company deals with the concept of digital photo sharing on the web. His story should be told to every student who is working hard to taste the sweetness of success. Because confident personalities like Shantanu teach us about the right direction.

Adobe Under Shantanu Narayen

Presently, Adobe’s mission is to change the world digitally. It has been serving an enormous consumer base from students to business sectors. As CEO, Shantanu has transformed the company into an industry innovator by pioneering a cloud-based subscription model for its creative suite.

Shantanu is responsible for establishing the gold standard of digital documents and creating and leading the explosive digital experience category. Presently, he is driving the company’s strategy to unleash creativity for everyone. The company has achieved record revenue and industry recognition for its inclusive, innovative, and exceptional workplace being continuously named a Great Place to Work and a Most Admired Company by Fortune.

He joined Adobe in 1998 as the vice president of its engineering technology group. Later on, he took giant strides in the company and worked for its development and establishing Adobe as a mega-brand in the technology sector. Further, he became the COO of Adobe in 2005. Shantanu was appointed as the CEO of the company in 2007. He is also the vice-chairman of the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum. Previously, Shantanu served as the director of Dell and is a former member of the U.S. President’s Management Advisory Board.

Leadership Style of Shantanu Narayen

Shantanu follows the transformational style of leadership. This type of leading the team is designed to encourage people to be the best. Successful transformational leadership has the capacity of masking an organization and its workforce adaptive to change. It is a supportive initiative that inspires people to look at collective interests, rather than personal benefits. This is the reason why Shantanu has been a great leader.

Major Accomplishments by Shantanu Narayen

Shantanu has been the recipient of many major honors. In 2011, Shantanu was honoured with the title of Doctor for Applied Science Degree in Alma Matter at the prestigious Bowling Green State University. He was promoted to Executive VP by Adobe before becoming the CEO of the company. Shantanu was given the responsibility of managing worldwide products. Shantanu’s name was also listed in The Top Gun CEOs by Brendon Wood International. He was even selected by US President Barack Obama as one of the board members of his management Advisory.

Shantanu was awarded Global Innovator Award at Nasscom during its 7th Annual Global Leadership Awards in 2011. He was also honored with the prestigious Philanthropic Leadership Award in 2009. Well, it is no doubt that his success is an inspiration for the youths around the country. With a wide variety of resources available, one can make out the best of himself/herself from these resources.

Wise Words From Shantanu Narayen

As per Shantanu, it is important to keep one's curiosity. He had treated all his jobs at Adobe with the same vigour and dignity. As a long-time company leader, Shantanu knew that Adobe had a strong brand with an impressive track record of developing new products, therefore, it is Shantanu’s leadership that helped Adobe to become a mega-brand in the circuit.

Shantanu says that Adobe has always invested in projects that solved difficult challenges and stood firmly in the test of time. A major part of Shantanu’s success is viewing the larger opportunity. He always saw Adobe as a mega-brand beyond Photoshop and PDFs. Hence, an aspiring entrepreneur must visualize his project with a wider view.

F5 Inc. Success Story | How It Offers Multi-Cloud Application Solutions?

F5 Inc. focuses on application protection, online fraud protection, application delivery networking (ADN), and other application-related services.

StartupTalkyShalini Rath

Conclusion

Shantanu Narayen, the CEO and Chairman of Adobe left the country to pursue his dreams but the man continues to make India proud with his great achievements. He joined Adobe as the vice president of its engineering technology group in 1998 and became the CEO in 2007. Under his leadership, the company has achieved great success both in terms of revenue and industry recognition.

Shantanu is also known to be a recipient of India’s civilian honour Padma Shri and has been recognised as one of the world's leading executives by many publications.

FAQs

When was Shantanu Narayen born?

Shantanu Narayen was born on 27 May 1963.

What is Shantanu Narayen's current title?

Currently, Shantanu Narayen is the Chairman and CEO of Adobe Inc.

What is Shantanu Narayen's current net worth?

The net worth of Shantanu Narayen is approximately $287 Million dollars.