Starbucks has asked Satya Nadella to join its board

Starbucks is tapping up Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella to join its board of directors.

The coffee giant announced it will put Nadella forward along with two other nominees at its annual meeting in March.

Nadella will be among friends, given Starbucks' future CEO Kevin Johnson used to work at Microsoft.

Johnson was previously president of Microsoft's platforms and services division, before leaving to becoming CEO of Juniper Networks in 2008. He was once tipped for the top job at Microsoft, but never confirmed he was in the running. He is currently Starbucks' COO, and will take over the top role from Howard Schultz next year.

Starbucks has nominated Nadella for his "extensive experience and an understanding of how technology will be used and experienced around the world."

The company has become increasingly tech-focused over the last two years. In 2015, the company pegged its growth to technology investment rather than ads. Its mobile app accounts for a substantial portion of its business.

Nadella also holds a board position for the Seattle-based Fred Hutchison Cancer Research Center. He said: "As a regular customer myself, I've always admired Starbucks' focus and deep passion for its customers and the communities it does business in and hope my years of experience in the technology industry will be of value to the company."

Starbucks' other two board nominees are Rosalind Brewer, CEO of Sam's Club, a division of Wal-Mart and Jørgen Vig Knudstorp, executive vice president of Lego. The rest of the board remains the same, though director James Shennan Jr. will retire after the annual meeting.