Starbucks
Who is Anand Varadarajan? Indian-origin Amazon veteran named Starbucks’ new CTO
Mumbai/IBNS: American multinational coffeehouse chain Starbucks has announced the appointment of Indian-origin Amazon veteran Anand Varadarajan as its new Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer (CTO), media reports said.
Varadarajan is set to formally take charge on January 19, 2026, and will report to Chief Executive Officer Brian Niccol.
He will succeed Deb Hall Lefevre, who retired in September 2025. Following Lefevre’s retirement, Ningyu Chen had been serving as interim CTO.
In his new role, Varadarajan is expected to help modernise and strengthen Starbucks’ technology infrastructure, enhance operational efficiency across stores, and accelerate the company’s global digital and technology initiatives.
Who is Anand Varadarajan?
Varadarajan earned his undergraduate degree from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT).
He holds a master’s degree in civil engineering from Purdue University and a master’s degree in computer science from the University of Washington.
He spent nearly 19 years at Amazon, where he built large-scale, customer-centric technology platforms and most recently led technology and supply chain systems for Amazon’s Worldwide Grocery Stores business, including Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods.
Before joining Amazon, Varadarajan held software engineering roles at Oracle and worked with several startups.
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