American Eagle Outfitters has appointed Papa John’s executive Ravi Thanawala as its new chief financial officer, as Mike Mathias prepares to step back after 25 years with the retailer.
Thanawala will join the owner of American Eagle and Aerie as executive vice president and chief financial officer from August 3, 2026.
He succeeds Mathias, who will move into a full-time non-executive strategic adviser role to Jay Schottenstein, American Eagle Outfitters’ executive chairman and chief executive.
Mathias will work with Thanawala through the remainder of the retailer’s 2026 financial year and continue supporting Schottenstein until July 30, 2027.
Thanawala brings experience from both retail and consumer-facing brands.
He was appointed chief financial officer and president of North America at Papa John’s in November 2025, after previously serving as the pizza chain’s chief financial officer and executive vice president, international.
Before joining Papa John’s, he was chief financial officer of Nike North America between June 2020 and July 2023. He also held senior roles at Converse, including global vice president and chief financial officer, and global vice president of retail excellence.
Earlier in his career, Thanawala spent eight years at ANN INC, where he held finance and operations roles across LOFT, Asia operations, global logistics and international trade.
Schottenstein said Thanawala’s retail background and experience with consumer brands would “position us well for long-term success”.
Thanawala said his immediate priority would be working with Mathias on the transition, before partnering with the wider leadership team to drive long-term strategic initiatives and profitable growth.
American Eagle Outfitters also reaffirmed its second quarter and full-year 2026 guidance, which was previously issued in its May 28 earnings update.
The retailer operates stores across the US, Canada and Mexico, with its products also sold in more than 30 countries through licence partners and ecommerce.
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