Adobe Reorganizes To Focus On Content Authoring, Digital Marketing Apps

The move is leading to a shakeup in Adobe's management ranks, including the departure of Rob Tarkoff, senior vice president and general manager of Adobe's Digital Enterprise Solutions business unit.

Adobe, in a statement, said the media and publishing industries are undergoing sweeping changes as businesses digitize their print and video assets. And the company said marketers are developing Web applications and content to drive customer engagement, as digital advertising is expected to reach $72 billion this year, according to Zenith Optimedia.

David Wadhwani, who currently manages Adobe's Creative Solutions and Platforms businesses, also will now be responsible for managing Adobe's Acrobat application business. The business unit under Wadhwani markets the company's Adobe Creative Suite software -- the company's content authoring products -- and the recently released Digital Publishing Solution package.

Senior vice president Brad Rencher, who currently manages Adobe's Omniture Web analytics business, will now be responsible for the company's digital marketing and enterprise software efforts and its Digital Marketing Suite product line. Rencher also will manage Adobe's customer experience management products, including the content management software Adobe acquired from Day Software in October 2010.

Adobe said Tarkoff "has decided to leave Adobe for another opportunity."

An Adobe spokesperson said Adobe is not eliminating any products as part of the reorganization, which she described as "doubling down on our two growth initiatives." But she said the company "will be refining Adobe's priorities and areas of focus" as the strategic planning process continues.

"As with any organizational change, we expect that there will be further structural changes," the spokesperson said in an e-mail, when asked whether the changes would result in any layoffs. "However, we believe the new organizational structure will allow us to prioritize our existing headcount and hiring plans against our growth initiatives."