Papa John’s International announced the appointment of Mark Shambura to Chief Marketing Officer, effective May 8. Shambura is a brand marketing leader with deep expertise in growing multi-unit restaurant brands. He will oversee brand and advertising; media and field activation; menu strategy and product innovation; and the digital customer experience, including Papa Johns owned channels, loyalty program and aggregator partnerships.
“Mark joins our Papa Johns team with over two decades of marketing experience, including a decade with restaurants, where he’s delivered impactful marketing strategies with a digital-first, analytics-led approach,” says Rob Lynch, president and CEO of Papa Johns. “Mark’s consumer-centric mindset will be critical as we continue to enhance every single touchpoint of the customer experience – from our digital channels to our menu to our brand – to drive engagement and growth.”
Shambura joins Papa Johns from MOD Pizza, one of the fastest growing fast casual concepts in the U.S., where he served as Chief Marketing Officer. In this role he transformed the marketing organization and drove growth by scaling digital and product innovation and further ignited brand engagement across advertising, paid, social, loyalty and field marketing. Prior to MOD Pizza, he served as Executive Director of Marketing at Chipotle Mexican Grill where he helped spearhead the “Real Ingredients” brand strategy and integrated campaign execution.
Shambura will report to Lynch and serve on the Papa Johns Executive Leadership Team. He replaces Anne Fischer, who departed earlier in the year.
“Papa Johns is the most exciting brand in the pizza category, with high brand recognition, an innovation track record and tremendous opportunity for growth in the U.S. and globally,” Shambura says. “By delivering on its iconic brand promise of BETTER INGREDIENTS. BETTER PIZZA, Papa Johns has consistently set itself apart with its premium positioning. In addition, I’m excited to join a team that emphasizes the importance of culture and lives its core values.”
Shambura also held roles at a variety of agencies focusing on leading food and beverage clients. He holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and minor in marketing from Boston College.
