Papa John's CIO promoted to key new role, 4 others named to leadership posts

Papa John's International Inc. has put in place a new organizational structure that the brand said is consistent with the strategy laid out earlier this year to improve the experience that customers have with Papa John's and accelerate growth, according to a news release.

As part of the changes, the company has established dedicated roles and responsibilities around each consumer touch point and has consolidated the line of reporting for these roles under a new executive vice president and chief operating and growth officer, to be held by former Senior Vice President and Chief Information and Digital Officer Mike Nettles.

"Improving how we engage with our customers is core to the new operating priorities announced earlier this year," President and CEO Steve Ritchie, said in the release. "By aligning our leadership structure around the customer experience, our team's diverse talents will be leveraged to drive enterprise-wide change and pioneer new innovations that accelerate the company's growth. 

"Since joining last year, Mike has significantly elevated the consumer experience across our digital and mobile platforms. His promotion and the other appointments announced today reflect the strong contributions these executives have made to Papa John's and our belief that, in their new roles, they can propel our success even further."

Nettles, who joined the company last year, has more than 28 years of the restaurant industry and technology experience. Prior to Papa John's, Mr. Nettles served as Panera Bread vice president of enterprise architecture and IT strategy. During his time at Papa John's, he developed a multi-year, customer-centric strategy to transform Papa John's technology into an industry-leading platform. 

Under his leadership, Papa John's mobile apps have become highly rated in both app stores (4.7 on iOS and 4.4 on Android), while the brand has established new ordering partnerships, including Facebook Instant Ordering, Amazon Alexa, and DoorDash. Likewise, Papa John's has established key data and analytics capabilities to improve store operations and better inform customer engagement.

As part of the new organizational structure, Papa John's announced the following executive appointments:

• Justin Falciola: Senior vice president, chief analytics and technology officer from the previous post as vice president global enterprise architecture. 
• Anne Fischer: Senior vice president, customer experience from previous post as vice president, product management. 
• Paul Fabre: Senior vice president, menu strategy and innovation from previous post as vice president R&D and quality assurance. 
• Melissa Richards-Person: Senior vice president, chief brand officer from previous post as vice president, global brand strategy and consumer connections.