Appointment comes at critical time for tech at coffeehouse chain
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Starbucks Corp. has named former Adobe executive Gerri Martin-Flickinger to the position of chief technology officer, effective Nov. 2, company officials said Tuesday.
In the new role, Martin-Flickinger will lead the Seattle-based chain’s global IT function and play a key role in shaping its technology agenda.
The move comes at an important time for 22,000-unit Starbucks, which recently completed the rollout of mobile ordering and payment to about 7,500 company owned locations across the U.S., as well as 150 units in the U.K., with Canada on deck for next year.
“Gerri is a technologist at heart and has a 30-year track record of leveraging technology-based solutions to drive business value,” Kevin Johnson, Starbucks president and chief operating officer, said in a statement. “As we continue to shape our global technology agenda at Starbucks, we needed leadership talent with deep experience in cloud, big data analytics, mobile and security to take us to the next level. As we searched for that leader, Gerri stood out as someone who has years of experience with Silicon Valley and brings deep management and technical expertise to help us navigate the future.”
Most recently, Martin-Flickinger was senior vice president and chief information officer for Adobe, overseeing the global information technology team. Officials said she played a key role in enabling Adobe’s transformation to a cloud-based business.
Before Adobe, Martin-Flickinger was chief information officer for VeriSign, and she has served as CIO for Network Associates Inc. and McAfee Associates Inc. She also held executive positions at Chevron Corp.
In a statement, Martin-Flickinger said she looked forward to taking the next step with a brand she loved in the Pacific Northwest, where she was raised.
“I am thrilled to be joining the strong team already in place at Starbucks,” she said. “Starbucks is on the cusp of entering into its next phase of technology leadership, and I am honored to be working alongside Starbucks’ strong IT management team to map out our long-term strategy.”
Contact Lisa Jennings at [email protected].
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