Papa Johns International, Inc. announced the appointment of Kevin Vasconi to chief digital and technology officer, effective today. Vasconi brings proven enterprise technology leadership to the company. He most recently served as chief information officer 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.
In this role, 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,” sats Todd Penegor, president and chief executive officer. “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.
Prior to The Wendy’s Company, Vasconi spent eight years at Domino’s as EVP and chief information officer, where he was responsible for developing and growing its domestic and international ecommerce businesses. He has a 35+ year career in technology, including 12 years at Ford Motor Company, and CIO and CTO roles at Covisint LLC, Polk North America, Polk Global Automotive, and Stanley Black & Decker.
“I am excited to join the talented team at Papa Johns and lead our technology strategy as we look to create great experiences for our customers and team members around the globe,” says Vasconi. “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. 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.”
Vasconi will report to Penegor and serve on the Papa Johns executive leadership team. Additionally, current executive leadership team members Ravi Thanawala and Joe Sieve will assume expanded roles, effective immediately.
CFO Ravi Thanalawa has been appointed CFO and EVP, international. In this new position, he will now manage the company’s international business, which includes markets outside of the U.S. and Canada, along with his CFO responsibilities.
Sieve has been appointed chief restaurant and global development officer. In this new position, he will now oversee all global development, as well as corporate and franchise restaurant operations.
