Panera Bread announces appointment of Mark Shambura as chief marketing officerPanera Bread announces appointment of Mark Shambura as chief marketing officer

Joanna Fantozzi

Panera Bread announced Thursday the appointment of former Papa Johns chief marketing officer, Mark Shambura, as the new CMO of the St. Louis-based fast-casual brand. The marketing role had been previously filled by Eduardo Luz, who had served is chief brand officer until last year. Shambura officially joined the team at the end of July and reports directly to CEO José Alberto Dueñas.

Shambura had previously served as chief marketing officer of Papa Johns from 2023 to 2024, and before that was CMO of MOD Pizza for four years and previously held multiple leadership positions at Chipotle Mexican Grill. In his new role, Shambura will all aspects of marketing at Panera, including brand building, digital and loyalty, product strategy and consumer insights.

"Mark brings an impressive background building brands and leading marketing teams for fast-casual restaurants, and we're thrilled to welcome him to Panera Bread," Dueñas said in a statement. "As Panera continues to evolve our brand, guided by listening to our guests, Mark's depth of experience and ability will help drive our growth as a brand that serves great food you feel good about eating."

Shambura is well-known for navigating marketing teams through times of brand growth, including his revitalization of the Papa Johns’ "Better Ingredients, Better Pizza" platform, and playing a key role in spearheading Chipotle’s "Real Ingredients" brand strategy.

Related:Panera Bread brings back the bagels that were discontinued during its menu revamp

"I'm proud to join the Panera Bread team and excited to build on the momentum of the brand's transformation as it continues to evolve in service of our guests," Shambura said in a statement. "Panera propelled and cemented its position at the top of the fast casual restaurant segment through its promise of high-quality ingredients and freshly prepared food, and I'm thrilled to join a highly talented team to help shape its next chapter."

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