MAM
adidas signs multi-year deal with Indian football team vice-captain Sandesh Jhingan
Mumbai: Sportswear giant, adidas has signed a multi-year endorsement deal with Indian football team vice-captain Sandesh Jhingan.
As part of the association, Jhingan will work closely with adidas in engaging and inspiring the youth to take the game to the next level. A recipient of AIFF’s ‘Emerging Player of the Year’ in 2014, he was named ‘Men’s Player of the Year’ in 2020-2021 and was also the recipient of the prestigious Arjuna Awards in 2020 for his outstanding achievement in football.
Brand adidas, India, senior director Sunil Gupta said, “Sandesh is a role model for many young footballers and a perfect combination of passion and talent. With this partnership, we aim to inspire the youth and work towards a common goal of building football from the grassroots level in India. We are thrilled to have Sandesh join the adidas family”.
An ardent fan of Manchester United, Sandesh will now join the brand’s elite pool of athletes which includes the likes of Lionel Messi, Mo Salah, Paul Pogba, Paulo Dybala, Rohit Sharma, Mirabai Chanu, Lovlina Borgohain, Manpreet Singh, Simranjit Kaur, Nikhat Zareen, and Jeremy Lalrinnunga. The brand has also partnered with some of the leading football clubs in the world including Manchester United, Arsenal, Real Madrid, Juventus, and Bayern Munich, which define the brand’s commitment to football.
“My journey with football has been very enriching, and I aspire to make it a far bigger sport in India than it is today. I am thrilled to be a part of the adidas family, and I feel this association will take me closer to my dream of seeing India develop a greater passion for football and gain a spot in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. I feel adidas gets my passion and love for football like no other, given its long-standing relationship with the sport,” said Jhingan.
Brands
Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen to step down after 18 years in role
Board begins CEO search as Narayen prepares to move to chair role
SAN JOSE: After nearly two decades at the helm, Adobe’s long-serving chief executive Shantanu Narayen is preparing to pass the baton.
The company announced that Narayen will transition from his role as chief executive officer once a successor is appointed, ending an 18-year run that reshaped Adobe from a boxed software seller into a global cloud and AI powerhouse. He will remain chair of the board following the leadership transition.
Adobe’s board has formed a special committee to oversee the succession process, led by lead independent director Frank Calderoni. The committee will evaluate both internal and external candidates.
“Shantanu’s leadership has been instrumental in Adobe’s transformation and in positioning the company for the AI-driven era,” Calderoni said in a statement. “As we begin the next phase of succession planning, our focus is on identifying the right leader for the company’s next chapter while ensuring a smooth transition.”
In a note to employees, Narayen described the moment not as a farewell but as a pause for reflection after a long journey with the company.
“I love Adobe and the privilege of leading it has been the greatest honour of my career,” he wrote, adding that he will continue to work closely with the board over the coming months to ensure a seamless leadership change.
Tributes from the technology industry quickly followed the announcement. Microsoft chairman and chief executive officer Satya Nadella congratulated Narayen on what he described as a “legendary run” at Adobe.
“Congrats Shantanu, on a legendary run at Adobe! You’ve built one of the most important software companies in the world, and expanded what’s possible for creators, entrepreneurs, and brands everywhere,” Nadella wrote on LinkedIn.
“What has always stood out to me is the empathy you’ve brought to the creative process and the example you’ve set as a leader. Grateful for your friendship, mentorship, and for all you’ve done for Adobe and for our industry.”
Narayen’s career at Adobe spans nearly three decades. He joined the company in 1998 as vice president and rose steadily through the ranks before becoming chief executive officer in December 2007.
During that time, he orchestrated one of the most significant reinventions in the software industry. In 2013, Adobe made the bold decision to abandon traditional boxed software sales and move its flagship creative tools such as Photoshop to a subscription-based Creative Cloud model. The shift initially rattled investors but ultimately transformed Adobe into a predictable recurring revenue business and a case study in digital reinvention.
Narayen also pushed Adobe beyond creative tools into the world of marketing technology and data-driven customer experience, spearheading acquisitions such as Omniture and Marketo. Those moves helped build Adobe’s digital experience division and broaden its reach far beyond designers and photographers.
The numbers tell the story of that transformation. When Narayen took over in 2007, Adobe generated roughly $3 billion in annual revenue. Today the company reports more than $25 billion. Over the same period, its workforce expanded from around 3,000 employees to more than 30,000.
In recent years, Narayen has steered Adobe into the generative AI era with the launch of Adobe Firefly, aiming to keep the company ahead in a rapidly evolving creative technology landscape.
Born in Hyderabad in 1963, Narayen studied electronics and communication engineering at Osmania University before moving to the United States for a master’s degree in computer science from Bowling Green State University. He later earned an MBA from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley.
Widely regarded as one of Silicon Valley’s most steady and effective leaders, Narayen has earned multiple honours during his career, including India’s Padma Shri in 2019.
For Adobe, the upcoming leadership change marks the end of a defining chapter. For Narayen, however, the story is far from finished. As he told employees, the company’s next era of creativity, powered by AI and new digital workflows, is only just beginning.
