Papa Johns International Inc. announced Monday the appointment of former Nike CFO Ravi Thanawala as chief financial officer of the pizza chain. He is replacing Ann Gugino, who stepped down in March as CFO of Papa Johns.
“Ravi is a multifaceted leader who brings a combination of strategic financial leadership experience, operational acumen and international expertise,” Rob Lynch, president and CEO of Papa Johns said in a statement. “Ravi’s proven track record of leading companies with diversified business models and robust e-commerce platforms will be key to enabling our continued growth through both our corporate-owned and franchisee-led restaurants.”
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Thanawala joins the Louisville, Ky.-based pizza chain after seven years of working at Nike, where he also served as global vice president and CFO of the Converse brand, and he also served as global vice president of retail excellence, where he oversaw cross-channel brand performance, before becoming CFO of the North American division of the athletic wear company.
Thanawala has a long career history in the fashion retail business and prior to his time at Nike, spent eight years in multiple leadership positions at Ann Inc. (parent company of Ann Taylor and Loft brands), including the leading finance role at Loft, lead of Ann Inc’s Asia operations, and eventually CFO of Ann Inc.
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“Papa Johns is a proven leader in the pizza delivery segment with its people-first culture, differentiated brand and innovative mindset,” Thanawala said in a statement. “The company’s vast whitespace available for development in the U.S. and internationally, a focus on operational excellence and a strong financial position make Papa Johns well-positioned to achieve long-term, profitable growth for the benefit of all of its stakeholders. I couldn’t be more excited to join the team.”
Chris Collins, who served as the interim principal financial and accounting officer and finance team leader since Gugino left, will resume his role as vice president of tax and treasury.
Contact Joanna Fantozzi at [email protected]