Outlook Business Desk
Starbucks has appointed Anand Varadarajan as its new Chief Technology Officer (CTO), effective January 19, to support CEO Brian Niccol’s push to modernise store operations and improve efficiency.
Anand Varadarajan will take over from Deb Hall Lefevre, who stepped down in September, with Ningyu Chen serving as interim CTO to maintain leadership continuity at Starbucks Technology.
Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol announced that Anand Varadarajan will report directly to him, join the Executive Leadership Team and lead Starbucks Technology, driving the company’s tech-focused transformation.
Ahead of Starbucks move, Indian-origin Anand Varadarajan spent nearly 19 years at Amazon, focusing on building technology with a customer-first approach while maintaining team speed and agility.
Varadarajan’s final role at Amazon was Vice President of Worldwide Grocery Technology and Supply Chain, where he oversaw global operations and technology for the company’s grocery business.
Varadarajan began his career as a Senior Software Engineer at Viquity Inc., where he designed B2B supply chain protocols, including full RosettaNet stacks, highlighting his strong expertise in technology and operations.
Varadarajan holds a Master of Science in Computer Science from the University of Washington, a Master’s in Civil Engineering from Purdue University and an undergraduate degree from the Indian Institute of Technology.