Adobe stitches units together, circulates fresh blood

Adobe Systems has consolidated its business units to allow the firm to punt its software for computers, phones and consumer electronics on a single tech platform.

The shake-up comes as part of a succession of management changes which include the expected retirement of two of its veteran execs on 1 May this year.

Adobe, which has been flirting with free software models of late, said that it will bring its mobile and platform businesses together under the leadership of CTO Kevin Lynch.

In February Adobe bosses gave Lynch, who joined the California-based company when it acquired Macromedia in 2005 where he had held a number of executive positions, the nod to head up the firm’s rich-web offerings.

Meanwhile, mobile devices unit veep Gary Kovacs has been pushed up a few pegs to become vice president and general manager of the new biz unit and will report directly to Lynch.

He replaces senior vice president Al Ramadan, who steps down on 30 April after nearly ten years with Adobe. Ramadan had previously worked at Macromedia, where he took care of product marketing.

The other veteran exiting stage left at the end of this month is David Mendels, senior veep for the firm’s biz productivity biz unit, which oversaw its Adobe Acrobat doc management software.

Rob Tarkoff will step into Mendels' brogues on 1 May. He joined the company last year from storage giant EMC. ®