Papa John's Announces New CFO and Positive Growth

By Tamara Parker • Tuesday, November 18 10:33 • Permanent Link

Papa John's International, Inc. (NASDAQ: PZZA) has announced the promotion of Ravi Thanawala to the position of Chief Financial Officer and President, North America. Thanawala, who previously served as the company's CFO and Executive Vice President, International, has been credited with driving positive growth in the company's international business. Papa John's reported its fourth consecutive quarter of positive international comparable sales, indicating a trend of improvement under Thanawala's leadership.

In connection with Thanawala's new role, Chris Lyn-Sue has been promoted to Senior Vice President, General Manager of International, taking over the leadership of the company's international business. These changes are effective immediately and both Thanawala and Lyn-Sue will report directly to President and CEO Todd Penegor.

Joe Sieve, the Chief Restaurant and Global Development Officer, is departing the company. Penegor expressed gratitude for Sieve's dedication and service to Papa John's, wishing him the best in his future endeavors.

Ravi Thanawala joined Papa John's as CFO in 2023 and was appointed CFO and EVP, International in 2024. He also served as the company's interim CEO from March 2024 to August 2024. Prior to joining Papa John's, Thanawala held various leadership roles at Nike, Inc. including Chief Financial Officer of Nike North America and Global VP and CFO of the Converse brand. His experience includes guiding Nike's global omnichannel direct-to-consumer strategy and successful turnaround of the Converse brand.

Papa John's International, Inc. was founded in 1984 and is the world's third-largest pizza delivery company with approximately 6,000 restaurants in around 50 countries and territories. The company is known for its focus on using high-quality ingredients and was the first national pizza delivery chain to remove artificial flavors and synthetic colors from its entire food menu. The market has reacted to these announcements by moving the company's shares -1.05% to a price of $40.215. Check out the company's full 8-K submission here.

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