Starbucks has announced the appointment of Anand Varadarajan as Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, effective January 19. The move follows the retirement of Deb Hall Lefevre, who stepped down from the role in September.
Varadarajan will join Starbucks’ Executive Leadership Team and lead the global Starbucks Technology organisation, reporting directly to CEO Brian Niccol. In his new role, he will be responsible for strengthening the company’s technology foundations, driving operational excellence, and scaling secure, reliable systems designed around customer needs.
Before joining Starbucks, Varadarajan spent close to 19 years at Amazon, where he played a key role in building technology solutions focused on customer experience, speed, and operational efficiency. Most recently, he led technology and supply chain initiatives for Amazon’s Worldwide Grocery Stores business.
Earlier in his career, Varadarajan held software engineering roles at Oracle and worked with multiple startups. His professional journey also includes stints at Motorola Inc., Openwave Inc., Viquity Inc., and Oracle Corp, giving him deep experience across enterprise technology, engineering, and large-scale operations.
At Starbucks, Varadarajan will focus not only on advancing the company’s digital and technology roadmap but also on nurturing and empowering the teams that support its global technology infrastructure.
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