---
title: "Papa John's Appoints a New Board Chair"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/368a87a1-fbfd-4dd9-bc0e-22166d6f8aa9
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/papa-johns-appoints-a-new-board-chair-2707303
category: "Pizza"
industry: "Restaurants"
segment: "Pizza"
topics: ["Development & multi-unit","People"]
published: 2018-07-30T14:09:26.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T04:08:28.270Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/d8d03d405b8c5e7d4a251bd806d69a516030.jpg
---

# Papa John's Appoints a New Board Chair

**TL;DR:** Papa John's has appointed Olivia Kirtley as its new chairman of the board, replacing founder John Schnatter. Kirtley previously served as the franchise's lead independent director.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2018-07-30. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/papa-johns-appoints-a-new-board-chair-2707303).*

## Story

Papa John’s has announced its new chairman of the board. Olivia Kirtley will assume the role previously held by chain founder John Schnatter, whose high-profile resignation came earlier this month after it was revealed that he used a racial slur in a conference call in May.

Kirtley previously served as the franchise’s lead independent director.

“The independent directors of the Papa John’s Board are committed to serving the best interests of the company, our shareholders and other stakeholders,” Kirtley said in a statement released by Papa John’s. “The establishment of the Board’s independent Special Committee and the ongoing cultural audit and investigation are among numerous steps underway to ensure that equity, inclusion, diversity and respect are upheld throughout the organization.”

As CNBC notes, Kirtley’s appointment comes after shares for Papa John’s hit a 12-month low on Friday.

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- Restaurants (sector)
- Multi-Unit (company)
- Papa Johns (company)
- leadership change (topic)
- diversity and inclusion (topic)
- board appointment (topic)

---
Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/papa-johns-appoints-a-new-board-chair-2707303). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/368a87a1-fbfd-4dd9-bc0e-22166d6f8aa9).