Ben Linares

Benjamin Linares is a senior FinOps and cloud-infrastructure executive with more than 25 years of experience translating complex technology environments into measurable business and financial outcomes for global enterprises including Starbucks, Amazon, Kaiser Permanente, and Microsoft. As the creator of the Zero Drift FinOps and Shift-Left governance frameworks, he enables organizations to embed financial accountability directly into architecture, delivery pipelines, and deployment decisions, preventing waste rather than reacting to it. Formerly leading Starbucks’ FinOps practice and delivering eight-figure annual savings, Benjamin now serves as FinOps Advisory Director at Harness, where he operates at the intersection of strategy, architecture, and execution, advising executive leadership on cloud and modern infrastructure optimization.

Outside of work, Benjamin is a father of five who values time with his family, often found hiking, boating, traveling, or cooking (one of his passions).