Starbucks appoints Indian-origin Amazon veteran Anand Varadarajan as CTO

Starbucks has appointed Indian-origin technology executive Anand Varadarajan as its new executive vice president and chief technology officer (CTO), tapping a nearly two-decade Amazon veteran to lead its global technology operations.

Varadarajan will take charge on January 19, join the company's Executive Leadership Team, and report directly to Chief Executive Officer Brian Niccol, Starbucks said. He succeeds Deb Hall Lefevre, who retired in September.

At Amazon, Varadarajan spent close to 19 years building large-scale, customer-focused technology platforms, most recently overseeing technology and supply chain for its Worldwide Grocery Stores business. Earlier, he worked as a software engineer at Oracle and with several startups.

Starbucks said Varadarajan brings deep experience in developing secure, reliable systems and scaling technology to support operational excellence while keeping customers at the centre.

An alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Varadarajan holds a master's degree in civil engineering from Purdue University and a master's degree in computer science from the University of Washington.

Starbucks said Varadarajan's appointment is expected to accelerate its technology initiatives and strengthen digital capabilities across its global business.