Gerri Martin-Flickinger, a veteran of Adobe, VeriSign and McAfee Associates, among other corporations, is abandoning the tech sector and joining Starbucks, the coffee titan.

She has been named the first ever Chief Technology Officer of Starbucks. She will start working at the Seattle-based coffee company on November 2.

"You will note that I have given her the title of C.T.O. versus the C.I.O. title of the past,” Kevin Johnson, the chief operating officer of Starbucks, wrote in an email sent to employees.

“This is a reflection of the fact that I am looking for Gerri to not only be a great leader of our global IT function but also to contribute her expertise to help shape the global strategy and technical architecture that we are building to power Starbucks into the future.”

Johnson himself is a technology industry veteran, having served as chief executive of Juniper Networks from 2008 to 2013 and previously working for Microsoft.

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.”