LOUISVILLE — Papa John’s International’s board of directors has appointed Todd Penegor as president and CEO, effective immediately. Penegor has also joined the board. He succeeds Ravi Thanawala, who has served as interim CEO since March 2024 and will continue in his role as CFO.
Co-headquartered in Atlanta, Ga. and Louisville, Papa John’s International opened its doors in 1984 and focuses on fresh high-quality ingredients. It was the first national pizza delivery chain to remove artificial flavors and synthetic colors from its entire food menu. Papa Johns is the world’s third-largest pizza delivery company with 5,900-plus restaurants in 50 countries and territories.
Penegor, most recently president and CEO of The Wendy’s Co., is a proven leader with 20 years of experience in the restaurant and consumer goods industries. During his tenure at Wendy’s the company achieved substantial growth in sales, earnings and new restaurant counts, including the expansion of Wendy’s footprint to more than 7,000 restaurants worldwide and the 12th consecutive year of same-restaurant sales growth, among other achievements. Prior to Wendy’s, Penegor held key leadership roles at Kellogg Co. and Ford Motor Co.
“Todd’s appointment 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,” said Christopher Coleman, chair of the Papa Johns board. “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.”
Penegor called his new position an honor.
“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,” Penegor said. “Papa Johns has an exceptional foundation in place, and I’m confident in our ability to win in the QSR space.”
Coleman thanked Thanawala for leading the company the past five months.
About Todd Penegor
Penegor served as president/CEO of Wendy’s from 2016 to 2024, and as its CFO from 2013 to 2016. Prior to Wendy’s, he held key leadership roles at Kellogg Company from 2000 to 2013, including president of U.S. Snacks, CFO of Kellogg Europe, CFO of Kellogg Snacks and vice president of global financial planning and strategy.
Penegor worked at Ford Motor Co. in various capacities within the its finance organization from 1989 to 2000, supporting mergers and acquisitions, global joint ventures and treasury.
Penegor serves on the board of directors of Ball Corp. (since 2019) and Dutch Bros Inc. (since 2024) and formerly served on the board of Perrigo Co.
He holds a bachelor in accounting, and an MBA in finance from Michigan State University.
