Darren R. Huston was born on 3 January 1966 in Hope, British Columbia, Canada.

He completed his high school education at the United World College of the Adriatic in Italy,[2] received a BS in economics from Trent University, an MA in economics from the University of British Columbia, and an MBA from the Harvard Business School.

During his time with the company, he introduced Wi-Fi in physical stores and the development of the Starbucks Card payment system.

From 2008 to 2011, Huston was corporate vice president of global operations, responsible for its consumer and online business.

[7][8] During his tenure, the company tripled its number of room nights booked and increased its employee base to more than 15,000 people.