Papa John’s International announced that Andrew Varga is resigning his position as chief marketing officer of Papa John’s after accepting the role of president of Zimmerman Advertising, Papa John’s advertising agency of record and one of the leading advertising firms in the United States.

Varga expects to begin his new position following a transition period with Papa John’s.

“Andrew made many outstanding contributions to the Papa John’s team, and we are pleased that he now has a wonderful opportunity to become the president at Zimmerman Advertising,” says Papa John’s founder, chairman, and CEO John Schnatter.

“We are excited not only to continue working with the talented team at Zimmerman, but also that Andrew and his wealth of knowledge about Papa John’s and the pizza category will continue to be an integral driver of the Papa John’s brand,” he adds.

“When we created the CMO position nearly four years ago, we had the goal of increasing the brand equity of Papa John’s,” says Papa John’s chief operating officer Tony Thompson.

“Andrew helped to strategically structure our marketing team to grow our digital, branding, and creative capabilities, all of which contribute to the strength of our brand,” he continues. “We’re confident our talented marketing team is well positioned to continue the strategic marketing and partnerships that will drive our results, and we will immediately begin the search for a new leader of the marketing team.”

Varga adds, “It has been my privilege to be a part of the great Papa John’s brand for nearly four years. I am very excited to continue to be involved with the quality leader in the [quick-service] pizza segment in my new role with Zimmerman Advertising, and am grateful for the positive experience and learnings from John Schnatter and the team that have helped make it possible for me to take on this new opportunity. I look forward to working with John and the rest of the management team to ensure a smooth transition, and to helping continue to grow the Papa John’s brand.”