Starbucks Hires First Chief Technology Officer

Starbucks Corp. is tapping a Silicon Valley veteran to be its first chief technology officer as the coffee giant amps up its push into digital ordering.

The Seattle-based company on Tuesday said it had hired former Adobe Systems Inc. executive Gerri Martin-Flickinger to lead its technology team. It is the second major hire of a technology executive at Starbucks. The company in January hired Kevin Johnson, former Juniper Networks Inc. CEO, to be its president and chief operating officer.

Technology is playing an increasingly important role in Starbucks' growth strategy as it seeks new ways to boost sales. In the U.S. 20% of transactions now are made using mobile devices, up from 9% two years ago. Starbucks in recent weeks rolled out nationwide a new mobile app, which allows customers to order and pay for food and drinks before arriving at a Starbucks to pick them up.

Chief Executive Howard Schultz last year announced he was expanding his role to be more involved in the company's digital retailing initiatives. Since then, Starbucks has struck deals with tech companies in an effort to attract more customers.

In July it teamed up with ride-sharing service Lyft Inc. in a deal that allows riders and drivers who use Lyft's mobile app to earn Starbucks loyalty "stars," which can be r edeemed for food and drinks at Starbucks outlets. Before that, Starbucks struck a similar deal with music-streaming service Spotify, whose subscribers can earn Starbucks stars.

Write to Julie Jargon at julie.jargon@wsj.com

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(END) Dow Jones Newswires

October 06, 2015 16:55 ET (20:55 GMT)

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