Staffing

Papa Johns makes personnel changes; hires chief digital, technology officer

Image: Papa Johns

September 9, 2024

Papa John's International has appointed Kevin Vasconi as chief digital and technology officer, according to a press release.

Vasconi most recently served as CIO for The Wendy's Company where he led their transformation and tripled its ecommerce business in three years through a consumer-centric approach, leveraging technology to build loyalty with Wendy's customers.

Kevin Vasconi. Photo: Papa Johns

Vasconi will be responsible for guiding the development and execution of Papa Johns long-term strategy across the entire digital and technology ecosystem, including customer-facing, restaurant and corporate technology. This includes enterprise architecture, engineering, data analytics, enterprise technology, information security, as well as advancing scalable, cost-effective technology capabilities for the franchise system globally. Working closely with the marketing organization and restaurant operations, he will develop innovative solutions for customers and team members that enable the delivery of superior quality pizza to Papa Johns customers around the world.

"Kevin and I worked together at The Wendy's Company, where I experienced first-hand his ability to lead technology innovation that delivered significant impact for our customers, team members and franchisees," Todd Penegor, president and CEO, said in the press release. "His experience spans a number of industries, though his leadership in QSR, in particular, has been recognized in the industry and has served as an inspiration for other peers in our category. I look forward to Kevin's partnership across our leadership team to build on the success Papa Johns has had in the digital space, while also leveraging technology to develop even better platforms, partnerships and systems to enable us to build for the future."

Vasconi said he is excited to join the talented team at Papa Johns.

"I have a passion for the restaurant industry, where I've spent the past 12 years of my career, because of our ability to impact so many consumers through technology every day," he said in the press release. "Papa Johns is a brand I've admired given its continued innovation in the technology space. With the digital space in QSR becoming more competitive than ever, there's both great challenge and opportunity ahead. I'm looking forward to working with the executive team and our technology team to unlocking growth for Papa Johns."

In other personnel news, Ravi Thanawala, chief financial officer, has been appointed chief financial officer and EVP, international, where he will now manage the company's international business.

Joe Sieve has been appointed chief restaurant and global development officer, where he will oversee all global development as well as corporate and franchise restaurant operations.

Papa Johns has approximately 5,900 restaurants in approximately 50 countries and territories.