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- Amrapali Gan is the Indian-born CEO of adult subscription platform OnlyFans.
- The 37-year-old had stints at Red Bull, Loewell Herb, and Cannabis Cafe before taking the top job at OnlyFans.
- Gan sees OnlyFans as a social media platform for everyone, not just sex workers.
This article originally appeared on Business Insider.
Amrapali Gan is the CEO of OnlyFans, the online subscription platform known for hosting adult content.
Amrapali Gan at the Time100 Next at Second on October 25, 2022 in New York City. Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images
Before taking over the role of CEO at OnlyFans in December 2021, Gan had been with the company for less than two years. She began working for the London-based social platform as the chief marketing and communications officer in September 2020.
Gan, 37, stepped into the top role after founder Tim Stokely left the company in December 2021, Insider previously reported. In August 2021, OnlyFans announced it would ban sexually explicit material, only to reverse the decision several weeks later. Stokely’s departure came just a few months after the reversal.
Gan was a surprise choice as CEO, having been at OnlyFans for such a short time. But Gan said that her relatability sets her apart from other tech CEOs.
“You have business leaders that went to fancy Ivy League schools; they’re not approachable. I’m the exact opposite,” Gan told Time in a July 2022 interview.
Gan did not respond to Insider’s request for comment.
Gan is one of the dozens of Indian-born CEOs helming tech companies.
CEO of OnlyFans Amrapali Gan speaks about “Who we are and where we are going” on the second day of 2022 Web Summit in Lisbon. Horacio Villalobos/Corbis/Getty Images
Gan was born in Mumbai and grew up as an only child in Virginia, per Fortune.
She is currently based in Miami, but was previously living in Los Angeles. After attending California State University, she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in public relations and organizational communication.
Gan later obtained a certificate in entrepreneurship from Harvard Business School Online.
Prior to becoming CEO of OnlyFans, Gan marketed a cannabis cafe and energy bars.
SF friends, I’ll be in town for #TCDisrupt next week. @TechCrunch pic.twitter.com/MK6qUanARF
— Ami Gan (@AmrapaliGan) October 11, 2022
Prior to joining OnlyFans, Gan was the vice president of marketing and publicity at Cannabis Cafe in West Hollywood. Her earlier career included communications roles at Lowell Herb, Red Bull, and protein bar company Quest Nutrition.
“To the outside world it was this unknown woman coming in to run one of the biggest tech businesses,” Gan said at the 2022 GQ Heroes convention.
Gan’s résumé is different from most tech CEOs, but she said her assertiveness makes her well suited for the top job.
“I’m someone with a non-traditional background, but someone who also has a very strong point of view,” she told Time.
Gan has an active OnlyFans page, where she posts her favorite artists on Spotify and snippets from her daily life.
Enjoyed sharing the stage with @OnlyFans CFO Lee Taylor at @money2020 announcing a milestone of hitting $10 Billion in Creator payouts since launching in 2016! pic.twitter.com/bMxdWNKINe
— Ami Gan (@AmrapaliGan) October 24, 2022
Screenshot of Amrapali Gan’s OnlyFans page. OnlyFans
Gan’s feed is filled with posts about her rescue dog Foxx, her interviews at conferences, and what she likes to do for fun. In a post on January 1, Gan said she prioritizes fitness and enjoys climbing, pilates, and running. A video she posted showed her rock climbing and attending a Formula 1 race.
But she also uses her account to connect with the users of what she describes as an “18-and-over creator platform.”
Gan said she opened her own OnlyFans page so everyone would be able to send her a message.
“I’ve been very outspoken about embracing our adult creators,” Gan told Time, adding that she uses the account to “see what the community is doing, follow creators, and most importantly, be able to connect directly with them and send them messages.”
Gan wants to rebrand OnlyFans into a platform where personal trainers and chefs can post content — alongside adult creators and sex workers, according to the Fortune interview.
Instagram screenshot of Amrapali Gan’s page. Instagram
Gan said she wants OnlyFans to be known for more than just its adult content, and transition into a mainstream social platform akin to Instagram and Twitter, per Fortune. OnlyFans currently earns almost $1 billion in annual revenue, but Gan still wants to expand the platform as the gig economy continues to get bigger.
“Ultimately people want to have jobs and do things that they’re passionate about, whether that’s cooking, or cooking naked, which is a real account you can follow,” Gan told GQ Magazine in a 2022 interview.
“It’s truly a place where someone’s biggest fans are going to make that extra effort to subscribe,” she added.