Papa Johns hires new CEO with extensive auto, food industry experience

Papa Johns, the famed pizza company with longtime headquarters in Louisville, has named Todd Penegor the company's new CEO and president .

Penegor will take over immediately from interim CEO Ravi Thanawala, who will remain with the company as CFO.

"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,” Christopher Coleman, chair of the Papa Johns Board of Directors, said in a release .

Thanawala was thrust into the role as interim CEO when former President and CEO, Robert Lynch resigned on March 20.

Lynch resigned to take a CEO role with another corporation, and due to the nature of his departure, was not entitled to a severance package, the Courier Journal previously reported .

Penegor comes to Papa Johns from The Wendy's Company where he was the president and CEO. This pizza chain giant is hoping to capitalize on Penegor's ability to expand and grow a fast-food-style chain restaurant. He also has experience from the Kellogg Company and Ford Motor Co.

"Todd has an outstanding record of leading winning teams and scaling franchised operations globally through trusted partnerships, product innovation and digital transformation," Coleman said.

Papa Johns opened its doors in 1984 in Southern Indiana and has since expanded to a co-headquartered company in Louisville and Atlanta with more than 5,900 restaurants globally.

"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," said Penegor. "Papa Johns has an exceptional foundation in place, and I’m confident in our ability to win in the QSR space."

Contact business reporter Olivia Evans at oevans@courier-journal.com or on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter at @oliviamevans_ .

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Papa Johns hires new CEO with extensive auto, food industry experience