Published on April 24, 2009
Exhibit
99.1
For
more information, contact:
Christopher
J. Sternberg
Sr. Vice
President, Corporate Communications
502-261-4934
PAPA
JOHN’S NAMES JUDE THOMPSON
PRESIDENT
AND CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
Founder
Chairman John Schnatter to continue in CEO role
LOUISVILLE,
KY – April 23, 2009 – Papa John's International, Inc. (NASDAQ: PZZA) today
announced the appointment of Joseph Jude Thompson as President and Chief
Operating Officer. Thompson will continue on the Papa John’s Board of Directors
where he has served since February 2008, and in his new role will report to
Founder and Chairman John Schnatter, who at the Board’s request will continue as
Chief Executive Officer, a role he returned to on an interim basis in December
2008.
“I am
excited that Jude has accepted the offer to join our management team,” commented
Schnatter. “Jude has been an invaluable asset to the entire Papa John’s system
as he helped me lead the company during the last 120-day transition
period. I look forward to continuing our partnership
together.”
In
December, the company's Board of Directors formed a committee led by director
William M. Street to undertake a search for a permanent Chief Executive
Officer. During the search process, Mr. Thompson served as the
Board’s liaison to the Papa John’s management team, working closely with Mr.
Schnatter and other members of Papa John’s leadership team.
“We
evaluated many talented candidates during the search process,” commented
Street. “At the end of the day, the committee concluded that Mr.
Thompson would make an outstanding addition to the management
team. This appointment positions us well from a succession
standpoint, as Mr. Schnatter focuses on Research & Development/QA and
sourcing quality ingredients while Mr. Thompson focuses on all other aspects of
the day-to-day running of the business.”
From 2006
to 2008, Thompson served as Senior Vice President of WellPoint, Inc. (NYSE:
WLP), and President, Individual Business, of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue
Shield. In this position, Mr. Thompson was responsible for all
aspects of the company’s Individual Business unit in the 14 states served by
WellPoint, which generated $5+ billion
in revenue in 2007. Prior to that, Thompson held positions of increasing
responsibility with Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, a division of WellPoint,
or its affiliates since 1989.
“I am
excited to join the Papa John’s management team,” commented
Thompson. “We have a very talented group of franchise and corporate
operators
throughout
the world who do an outstanding job delivering on our ‘Better Ingredients.
Better Pizza’ brand promise to customers, every day. As we celebrate
our 25th
anniversary and embark on our next 25 years, I look forward to working with our
Founder and the entire system to keep this wonderful brand moving
forward.”
Headquartered
in Louisville, Kentucky, Papa John's is the world's third largest pizza
company. For nine years running, consumers have rated Papa John's No.
1 in customer satisfaction among all national pizza chains in the highly
regarded American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). Papa John's also ranks
first among pizza companies in the 2008 Brand Keys Customer Loyalty Engagement
Index, was honored by Restaurants & Institutions Magazine (R&I) with the
2008 Silver Award for Consumers’ Choice in Chains in the pizza segment, and was
named 2007 Pizza Today Chain of the Year. For more information about
the company or to order pizza online, visit Papa John's at www.papajohns.com.
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