Meet Anand Varadarajan: Amazon Veteran Who Will Now Power Starbucks’ Global Technology

Starbucks has appointed Indian-origin technology expert Anand Varadarajan as its new Chief Technology Officer (CTO). He will officially take charge from January 19, 2026. Along with being CTO, he has also been named Executive Vice President, making him part of the top leadership team at Starbucks. Anand Varadarajan will report directly to Brian Niccol, the CEO of Starbucks.

As the global Chief Technology Officer, Anand Varadarajan will be responsible for all technology-related work at Starbucks to serve customers better and run stores more efficiently.

He is going to manage Starbucks' global technology systems, improve mobile apps, digital payments, and online ordering, and make sure systems are secure and reliable while supporting smooth operations in Starbucks stores worldwide.

Anand Varadarajan's Career

Before joining Starbucks, Anand Varadarajan spent nearly 19 years at Amazon, where he had worked in many senior roles and handled technology and supply chain systems for the company's Worldwide Grocery Stores business. Earlier in his career, he also worked as a software engineer at Oracle and aloso with several other startups.

Anand Varadarajan is an Indian-origin executive and an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology Madras.
He also holds a master's degree in civil engineering from Purdue University and a master's degree in computer science from the University of Washington.

Anand Varadarajan as Starbucks CTO

Starbucks is currently focusing on improving its technology and digital services. The company wants to make ordering faster, improve customer experience, and strengthen its supply chain.

Anand Varadarajan is known for Building large-scale and secure technology systems, managing complex retail and supply chain platforms and creating customer-friendly digital solutions Starbucks believes his experience at Amazon will help the company grow and modernise its technology. With Anand Varadarajan joining as CTO, Starbucks is expected to further improve its digital platforms and customer experience across the world.