VFX Adobe's co-founder retires, a new president gets appointed and the company's annual stockholder's meeting goes virtual -

Adobe’s co-founder retires, a new president gets appointed and the company’s annual stockholder’s meeting goes virtual

  • Adobe co-founder Charles M. Geschke has retired
  • The company appoints senior business leader Simon Tate as president of its Asia Pacific (APAC) operations
  • Adobe will host its Annual Meeting of Stockholders virtually on 9 April 2020

Adobe on Monday informed that company co-founder Charles M. Geschke has decided not to stand for re-election to the board of directors at the company’s annual meeting on 9 April 2020. Dr. Geschke will retire immediately after the meeting, the company said.

He will become a director emeritus and will continue to participate in board activities, the company further said.

Dr. Geschke

Dr. Geschke co-founded Adobe in 1982 with Dr. John Warnock, a colleague from Xerox. Their first product was Adobe PostScript, pivotal technology that sparked the desktop publishing revolution. Over their next 40 years at Adobe, they were instrumental in technologies that have fundamentally changed how people create and communicate around the world.

Dr. Geschke was chief operating officer of Adobe from December 1986 to July 1994 and president from April 1989 until his retirement in April 2000. He served as chairman of the board with Dr. Warnock from September 1997 to January 2017. In recognition of their technical achievements, Dr. Geschke and Dr. Warnock were awarded the prestigious National Medal of Technology and Innovation; the Computer Entrepreneur Award from the IEEE Computer Society; and the American Electronics Association Medal of Honor.

“When Chuck and I started Adobe, we wanted to create a place where we would want to work. We wanted to develop innovative software and create a culture that empowered employees to be their best. We could never have imagined that Adobe would become what it is today—one of the world’s leading software companies,” shared Adobe CEO, co-founder and former chairman John Warnock.

Fresh off the heels of his retirement, Software giant on Wednesday appointed senior business leader Simon Tate as president of its Asia Pacific (APAC) operations. Tate has previously spent six years as APAC Senior Vice President at Salesforce, responsible for all market segments, geographies and products during his tenure.

In his new role, Tate will lead Adobe”s business across the region, reporting to Paul Robson, president, International, Adobe, the company said in a statement.

Simon Tate

“I”m excited to welcome him to the team. His innovative customer approach is the perfect match for Adobe in APAC,” said Robson.

Tate has worked with brands like SAP, Dell/EMC and Hummingbird during his 25-year long career.

“Across APAC, digital transformation is an executive mandate and I”m excited to work with business leaders across the region as they adapt to the experience economy,” said Tate.

Adobe Experience Platform, the foundation of Adobe Experience Cloud, is the industry’s first purpose-built CXM platform, enabling personalised customer experiences in real-time at scale.

Adobe (Nasdaq:ADBE) also announced that it will host its Annual Meeting of Stockholders on 9 April 2020, at 9 a.m. Pacific Time.

In light of the evolving COVID-19 situation, Adobe, like many other companies and events, will hold its annual stockholder meeting virtually. The company is ensuring necessary measures to protect the health and well-being of the company’s employees and stockholders.

As described in the proxy materials for the Annual Meeting, stockholders are able to participate if:

  • They were stockholders as of the close of business on Feb. 12, 2020.

  • They hold a legal proxy for the 2020 Annual Meeting.

To be admitted to the 2020 Annual Meeting, enter the control number found on the proxy card, voting instructions form or the notice that was previously received.

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