OnlyFans Appoints Cannabis Industry Insider as CEO

Amrapali “Ami” Gan, 36, will serve as Chief Executive Officer of OnlyFans, effective December 21, 2021, according to an announcement. Bloomberg first reported the change in leadership, and a representative from OnlyFans—the leading subscription-based adult content creation platform—told High Times “we can confirm the appointment of Amrapali Gan as CEO.”

Gan arrives with first-hand knowledge working in challenging industries, including the first-of-its-kind restaurant serving cannabis-infused food. Her appointment as OnlyFans CEO is causing a significant buzz in East Asian media cycles. Why? OnlyFans is home to 180 million registered users as of the time of writing—and the company says it pays out more than $5 billion to its two million content creators annually.

Before OnlyFans, Gan worked as a marketer by profession in Mumbai, India, where she was born. She started in 2007 with PepsiCo under its Marketing Leadership Program, and worked with Quest Nutrition as the Head of Brand Communications, and for Red Bull Media House focusing on Activation & Communications. 

Most recently though, Gan worked as VP of Marketing and Communications with Andrea Drummer and others to unveil the historic, first-of-its-kind restaurant, The Original Cannabis Cafe in West Hollywood, California—which was formerly known as Lowell Cafe. The cafe featured CBD, THC or both in every dish, with an emphasis on highlighting cannabis’ benefits for personal wellness. It was the first brick-and-mortar cannabis-infused restaurant, mirroring other cafe projects that claim similar “first” titles. 

OnlyFans Founder Tim Stokely will hand over the reins to Gan, as Stokely prepares “to pursue new endeavors.” He’s ready to shift gears as he steps down from his role.

“Ami has a deep passion for OnlyFans’ business and I’m passing the baton to a friend and colleague who has the vision and drive to help the organisation reach its tremendous potential,” said Stokely. “OnlyFans is still a new company and Ami brings a fresh energy and reflects who we are as a business.”

Gan served as Chief Marketing and Communications Officer of OnlyFans, after joining the team in 2020, working closely with Stokely. Ami is taking over this role from Stokely, who has been at the helm since founding the company in London in 2016. He will continue with OnlyFans as an advisor guiding this leadership transition.

“I am proud to assume this role. I look forward to continuing to work closely with our creator community to help them maximize control over, and monetise, their content,” said Gan. “I will be leading an exceptionally talented team at OnlyFans that is delivering a unique experience for our creators and fans. By blending state of the art technology with creative capital, we are committed to being the safest social media platform in the world.”

OnlyFans is a subscription-based social platform focusing on typically adult material. The site is inclusive of artists and content creators, giving creators the opportunity to monetise the content that they share. 

The rapidly evolving nature of social media platforms means adaptability. Citing pressure from the banks that process payments on the site, OnlyFans announced it would ban all sexually explicit content from the platform in August but quickly reversed the decision not long after. After all, many people turned to OnlyFans into a means of income during the pandemic, including single mothers.

Gan’s new job will be to ensure to promote the company’s growth and drive its vision and commitment specifically to empowering content creators. As a woman of color, she also brings a spark of diversity to OnlyFans’ leadership team.