The Starbucks Card and corresponding loyalty and mobile payments initiatives are crucial.

FORBES: Starbucks' Secret Recipe for Growth

As Chief Digital Officer, Brotman has responsibility for Starbucks core digital businesses, including web, mobile, social media, card, loyalty, e-commerce, Wi-Fi, and the Starbucks Digital Network.

FORBES: Chief Digital Officer for Starbucks on Technology, Change and Community

In a February interview, Ryan Records, a vice president of payments and cards at Starbucks, highlighted rising amounts of money being loaded on the Starbucks Card, a holiday-season spike in new loyalty program members and strong mobile app downloads as reason to see the unit as being increasingly relevant to Starbucks.

FORBES: Starbucks' Secret Recipe for Growth