The education and career of Amrapali Gan, the Mumbai-born OnlyFans CEO

We’ve all heard about the OnlyFans phenomenon. The site emerged in 2016 as a subscription service, providing a fairly controversial platform to adult content creators, YouTubers, fitness trainers, models, public figures and anyone else looking to grow their net worth through media. Since its inception, the website has collectively paid them US$5 billion. 

Running such a business requires finesse, grit, and resilience — all of which are traits Amrapali “Ami” Gan has. On Dec. 21, 2021, OnlyFans founder, Tim Stokely stepped down and was immediately succeeded by the Mumbai-born Gan, by then already marketing powerhouse. 

“Ami has a deep passion for OnlyFans’s 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,” Stokely said in a statement of the new OnlyFans CEO. “OnlyFans is still a new company and Ami brings a fresh energy and reflects who we are as a business.”

The switch entails Gan leaving her previous role of chief marketing and communications officer behind to “assume the day-to-day leadership” of the London-based company, which currently hosts over 180 million registered users and more than two million creators.

According to its website, OnlyFans currently hosts over 180 million registered users and more than two million creators. Source: Lionel Bonaventure / AFP

“I am proud to assume this role,” she says. “I look forward to continuing to work closely with our creator community to help them maximise control over, and monetise their content. I will be leading an exceptionally talented team at OnlyFans that is delivering a unique experience for our creators and fans.”

With a stellar educational background and early career, it seems like there’s no stopping her. After all, Gan’s latest achievement didn’t materialise out of thin air. 

The beginnings that made the newest OnlyFans CEO

After completing her foundational studies in Mumbai, Gan headed off to the US to further her education. Her LinkedIn lists her first stop as Los Angeles, California’s Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising. There, she completed an Associate of Arts in Merchandising and Marketing.

Her tenacity is evident in the academic decision she made as a young adult.  It is not necessary to have a related degree to enter the marketing profession, however, Gan thought otherwise. The lifelong learner even went on to complete a certificate in Entrepreneurship/Entrepreneurial Studies from Harvard Business School Online. 

That’s not all. Gan also completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Relations and Organisational Communication from California State University. This was topped off with a few months spent in PepsiCo’s Future Leaders Programme for Marketing. 

Prior to landing the role of OnlyFans CEO, Amrapali Gan started as the platform’s chief marketing and communications officer. Source: Facebook

Soon after, Gan’s career took off — first, with a two-year stint as a public relations account executive at Phyllis Klein & Associates in Beverly Hills. Then, she joined Hollywood-based My Fashion Database, Inc. as its editorial manager before taking over its digital marketing department. 

The theme of leadership in Gan’s CV continues with four years at Quest Nutrition, where she spent a year as their director of marketing before transitioning to head of brand communications. She was then contracted to spend just under two years serving as Red Bull Media House’s brand activation and communications manager in Santa Monica. 

Gan continued to add to her extensive lineup of prominent positions as Lowell Herb Co.’s director of communications, Cannabis Cafe’s vice president of marketing and publicity, and Arcade Agency’s consultant.

In 2020, she landed her first role at OnlyFans — where, clearly, the real journey is only just beginning.

“By blending state of the art technology with creative capital, we are committed to being the safest social media platform in the world,” Gan says.