OREANDA-NEWS. Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ: SBUX) today announced it has appointed Gerri Martin-Flickinger as chief technology officer effective November 2. In this role, Martin-Flickinger will lead the global IT function and play a key role in shaping the technology agenda across the Starbucks business.  Most recently, she served as Adobe’s senior vice president and chief information officer, where she oversaw Adobe’s global Information Technology team and played a key role in enabling Adobe’s transformation to a cloud-based business. 

“Gerri is a technologist at heart and has a 30-year track record of leveraging technology-based solutions to drive business value. 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 in Silicon Valley and brings deep management and technical expertise to help us navigate the future,” said Kevin Johnson, Starbucks president and chief operating officer. 

Martin-Flickinger will report to Johnson and serve as a member of Starbucks senior leadership team. As chief technology officer, Martin-Flickinger will lead the company’s IT organization, and will champion the next phase of innovation and growth for Starbucks.

“I’ve had the pleasure of working with an amazing team at Adobe, and I look forward to taking this next step in my career as I assume the role of chief technology officer at Starbucks, a brand that I love. The Pacific Northwest is where I was raised, so I am pleased to be returning there. I am thrilled to be joining the strong team already in place at Starbucks,” said Martin-Flickinger. “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.”

Martin-Flickinger will bring 30 years of experience leading large-scale global IT organizations for companies experiencing explosive growth through acquisition, global expansion and implementing new business models. Her expertise includes leading organizations through transformational change, connecting IT to the needs of the business and aligning IT costs. Before joining Adobe, Martin-Flickinger was CIO of VeriSign, where she oversaw corporate information technology services for the company's 60 offices worldwide. Prior to VeriSign, she served as CIO for Network Associates, Inc. and McAfee Associates, Inc. Before joining McAfee, Martin-Flickinger held several senior systems roles at Chevron Corporation, including serving as process consultant to Chevron's executive staff.

Martin-Flickinger has received a number of awards and accolades over her 30-year career. Most recently, she was honored by the Silicon Valley Business Journal with the Judges’ Choice award for her integral role with Adobe’s successful shift to a cloud-services company. Additionally, she was honored as a 2015 CIO Leader by HMG Strategy and was named to the 25 of the Smartest Women on Twitter 2015. Martin-Flickinger holds a bachelor's degree in computer science from Washington State University. She is a member of Wall Street Journal CIO Network and Sierra Ventures CIO Advisory Board.

Martin-Flickinger will relocate to the Seattle area with her family.