John Elliott, Vice President, Technology for Starbucks EMEA | Photo credit: Starbucks

Starbucks has appointed former Sainsbury’s Chief Technology Officer John Elliott as Vice President, Technology for the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region.  
 

In a press release, Starbucks said Elliott will be responsible for ‘setting and executing’ Starbucks’ technology strategy across 42 EMEA markets – including in-store digital services, the Rewards loyalty app, mobile ordering and delivery. 

“John joins Starbucks at a time when we are building on our strong growth in the region. His impressive track record, particularly his experience in consumer facing food retailing, will help support our strategy. This will see us drive further investment in technology that enhances the partner and customer experience, improve our supply chain and evolve our app and mobile ordering platform,” said Duncan Moir, President, Starbucks EMEA. 

Elliott began his career at UK-based business consultancy Accenture in 2002 before joining supermarket chain Morrissons in 2011, where he held the role of Head of Applications and Development. In September 2017, following three-years as a Programme Director at IT consulting firm Oracle, Elliott joined UK supermarket chain Sainsbury’s as Director of Technology – Food Commercial & Supply Chain. In January 2023 he was appointed Sainsbury’s Chief Technology Officer,  a position he held until September 2024. 

Seattle-based Starbucks opened its first European store in the UK in 1998 and entered the Middle East a year later with a store in Kuwait. Starbucks, which moved its EMEA headquarters from Amsterdam to London in 2015, currently operates more than 5,000 stores across 31 European and 11 MENA markets.