Papa Johns has named Todd Penegor as its new president and chief executive officer, effective immediately. He has also been named to the company’s board of directors.
With this announcement, Penegor joins a small handful of permanent CEOs in the company’s 40-year history, following founder John Schnatter, Nigel Travis, Steve Ritchie, and, most recently, Rob Lynch, who left earlier this year for the same role at Shake Shack. Penegor succeeds Ravi Thanawala, who has served as interim CEO since March 2024 and who will continue in his role as the pizza chain's chief financial officer.
Penegor served most recently as president and CEO of Wendy’s, a role he held from 2016 through early February of this year. During his tenure, the company expanded its footprint to more than 7,000 restaurants in 30 markets and U.S. territories and achieved its 12th consecutive year of same-store sales growth.
Additionally, Penegor chartered three billion-dollar opportunities for the company, including digital, international and breakfast, and created “The Wendy’s Way” framework. On his watch, in 2021, Wendy’s surpassed Burger King to become the No. 2 player in the burger category by sales.
“Todd’s appointment as president and chief executive officer successfully concludes an extensive search to identify a proven leader who has the experience, skills and vision to achieve the full potential of the Papa Johns brand and accelerate growth,” board chair Christopher Coleman said in a statement. “Todd has an outstanding record of leading winning teams and scaling franchised operations globally through trusted partnerships, product innovation and digital transformation. He has also demonstrated his ability to effectively allocate capital, drive value and enhance profitability. We are excited to welcome Todd to Papa Johns and look forward to his contributions as we work to create significant, sustainable value for our shareholders and franchisees.”
Prior to being named CEO, Penegor was Wendy’s chief financial officer. Before joining Wendy’s, he held leadership roles at Kellogg Company and Ford Motor Company. He serves on the board of directors of Ball Corporation and Dutch Bros, and holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees respectively in accounting and business administration in finance from Michigan State University.
“I am honored to serve as chief executive officer of Papa Johns and work with the board, our dedicated team members and franchisees to usher in the company’s next chapter,” Penegor said in a statement. “By consistently delivering on the ‘Better Ingredients. Better Pizza.’ brand promise, Papa Johns already has the best pizza in the industry. I am committed to providing exceptional customer experiences across all of our offerings and touchpoints to ensure we unlock the full potential of Papa Johns’ differentiated market position. Papa Johns has an exceptional foundation in place, and I’m confident in our ability to win in the QSR space.”
Papa Johns has more than 5,000 locations in 45 countries and territories around the world.
Contact Alicia Kelso at [email protected]
