Shantanu Narayen, the Indian-origin president and CEO of Adobe, said the biggest opportunity for the software major in India lies in unlocking the true potential of a billion-plus people and make digital literacy accessible to all as the country embraces digital transformation.
“Massive opportunities that exist in India are related to the population and its demography. For me, each Indian needs to be creative and I sometimes say that growing up in India is all about three Rs — reading, writing and arithmetic,” Narayen said on the sidelines of the Adobe Max creative conference in Los Angeles.
“Digital literacy is going to provide people with ample opportunities and make their lives better and for us, the aim is to make digital literacy accessible to every Indian. It is a way of giving back to the society,” said the Indian-origin CEO who was at the sixth spot in the latest Harvard Business Review’s (HBR) best-performing CEOs’ list.
Earlier this year, the government think tank NITI Aayog partnered with Adobe to develop creative skills and spread digital literacy among school children in India.
The software major along with the Indian Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship last year launched an 'Adobe Digital Disha' programme across vocational institutes in India as well.
In addition to digital literacy, said Narayen, digital innovations that enterprises, small and medium businesses (SMBs) and startups are fast embracing have created mammoth opportunities for the company in India.
“India is a big market for us that is doing very well. We have a very strong R&D presence at both Noida and Bengaluru facilities. Getting the right talent at Adobe India R&D has always been a huge focus area for us,” added Narayen, who was honoured with the Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civilian award, this year.
India is a strategic focus area for Adobe — both from the business and innovation standpoints. With over 5,500 employees, the country is the second-largest location for Adobe globally and over one-third of its overall R&D happens out of Indian labs.