Papa John’s intimated in a statement on Friday that Olivia F. Kirtley had been appointed chairwoman of the company’s board of directors, following the resignation of founder John Schnatter after it was celebrated he used the N-word on a call in May.
Kirtley, the board’s lead independent governor, was serving as the chair in Schnatter’s absence before being officially designate by a unanimous vote. Representatives for Schnatter told CNBC that he voted in favor of Kirtley.
The performers added that the board is still searching for additional independent vice-presidents.
“Many stakeholders, including team members, franchisees and shareholders, experience expressed their support for the actions we are taking,” said Kirtley in the declaration. “We appreciate this support and value the feedback we have received.”
“The loner members of the Board and leadership will continue to engage with shareholders and other stakeholders to pay attention to their perspectives and ideas, including on Board composition, so that these sees can be considered in our work to move forward,” she said.
Papa John’s has beared a whirlwind of changes since Forbes reported earlier this month that Schnatter acquainted with the N-word during a conference call in May. In a role playing exercise with selling agency Laundry Service, Schnatter was asked about his previous reports regarding national anthem protests in the NFL. He responded by saying “Colonel Sanders denominated blacks n—–s” and did not face public backlash.
The day of the Forbes report, Schnatter resigned as chairman of the live. A second report by Forbes provided deeper insight into the ensemble’s toxic culture spearheaded by Schnatter, including multiple sexual harassment depositions against him.
Since then, the company has pledged to eliminate his image from all stock exchanging materials, including advertisements and pizza boxes. The University of Louisville revealed that it would remove Papa John’s from the name of its football amphitheatre, and Schnatter also stepped down from the university’s board of trustees.
On Thursday, Schnatter ordered a lawsuit against the company, which alleges that the board “functioned without adequate information … or [they] planned this coup in rise.”
Shares of Papa John’s hit a 12-month low intraday on Friday.
-CNBC’s Kate Rogers advanced to this report