Coffee giant Starbucks has appointed Anand Varadarajan as its new chief technology officer (CTO), with effect from 19 January 2026.
Varadarajan will head the Starbucks Technology division and will report directly to CEO Brian Niccol.
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He succeeds Deb Hall Lefevre, who announced her retirement in September.
He joins Starbucks from Amazon, where he spent close to 19 years in technology roles.
Most recently, Varadarajan was responsible for technology and supply chain for Amazon’s Worldwide Grocery Stores business.
His earlier career includes software engineering positions at Oracle.
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By GlobalDataNiccol said: “He knows how to create systems that are reliable and secure, drive operational excellence and scale solutions that keep customers at the centre.
“Just as important, he cares deeply about supporting and developing the people behind the scenes that build and enable the technology we use.
During the leadership transition, Ningyu Chen served as interim CTO.
Niccol said: “I want to thank Ningyu Chen for stepping in as interim CTO. His leadership kept our priorities on track and our technology work moving forward. And I’d like to thank Cathy Smith for her support and oversight of the organisation through this transition.
“I’m confident Anand will help the team build on work underway and accelerate our efforts to deliver the very best of Starbucks for partners and customers.”
Earlier, Tressie Lieberman took up the role of global chief brand officer in November last year.
