Brands
Godrej Capital’s ‘Do se teen’ celebrates women scaling businesses
Aarohi loans cross Rs 1,000 crore AUM milestone for women entrepreneurs
MUMBAI: Godrej Capital has launched a new campaign, ‘Do se teen’, ahead of International Women’s Day, spotlighting India’s emerging women entrepreneurs and the families increasingly backing their ambitions.
The film centres on a woman entrepreneur preparing to expand her warehouse business from two outlets to three. A brief misunderstanding, when her mother-in-law mistakes the expansion for a pregnancy announcement, quickly turns into a moment of encouragement as the family supports her decision to sign a business loan and grow the venture on her own terms.
The campaign forms part of Aarohi Loans for Women, an initiative by Godrej Capital’s subsidiaries designed to expand access to credit for women borrowers. The programme removes a longstanding barrier in lending by allowing women to apply for loans without a mandatory male co-applicant, giving them greater financial autonomy.
“Across India, more women are stepping forward to build and scale their own businesses, but access to formal credit remains a challenge,” said Godrej Capital managing director and chief executive Manish Shah. “Through Aarohi, we aim to remove some of these barriers and make it easier for women to access capital and grow with confidence.”
Since its launch, the initiative has gained traction among women entrepreneurs. Loans worth Rs 1,890 crore have been disbursed under the programme, helping the portfolio cross the Rs 1,000 crore assets under management (AUM) milestone. The company is targeting roughly Rs 1,200 crore AUM by the end of the current financial year.
Beyond lending, the programme also focuses on strengthening the ecosystem for women-led businesses through financial literacy initiatives, training partnerships and community programmes aimed at building entrepreneurial capabilities.
As part of its outreach, the company recently opened an all-women branch in Pune to deepen engagement with women entrepreneurs and local business networks.
Godrej Capital says the campaign underscores a broader cultural shift: as families increasingly support women’s ambitions, and credit becomes easier to access, women-led enterprises are poised to expand their role in India’s small-business economy.
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.
