Creator talent management agency Shine Talent Group has promoted Chief Operating Officer Manar El Mugammar to President, effective October 1. Co-founders Emily Ward and Jess Hunichen will transition to the company’s advisory board.

El Mugammar will take on full operational and strategic oversight of the agency across its markets in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Department heads and directors, including Sarah King, Molly Tucker and newly appointed VP of Talent Experience Samantha Walters, along with the heads of finance, human resources, marketing and legal, will report directly to her across Shine’s four global offices in Los Angeles, New York, Toronto and London.

El Mugammar joined Shine in 2023 as its first Chief Operating Officer. During her tenure, the agency says she modernized cross-market operations, helped integrate a division called “The Thread” into Shine’s operations, expanded internal diversity, equity and inclusion infrastructure through employee resource groups, and built a financial framework intended to guarantee consistent, on-time creator compensation. She holds an MBA, as well as a degree from the University of Waterloo, and has more than 15 years of experience in organizational scaling across the legal, nonprofit, and digital marketing sectors.

Over the next 12 months, Shine says El Mugammar’s priorities will include signing top-tier creator talent in core international markets, executing growth initiatives aimed at tripling overall revenue, and deepening the agency’s footprint in the U.S.

“Manar brings a people-first leadership philosophy that places creators at the center of every business decision,” Ward said. “She has proven herself as an exceptional leader over the past few years by identifying growth opportunities, introducing team incentive structures, and establishing operational systems that yield lasting impact.” Hunichen added that the move “reflects our total confidence in her ability to continue Shine’s acceleration in the next decade, while elevating new points of view within our organization.”

“My vision centers on scaling with longevity,” El Mugammar said, “ensuring that rapid business expansion is matched by sustainable operational excellence and enduring talent partnerships.”

Ward and Hunichen will focus on Shine’s long-term growth strategy while also expanding Love x Money Ventures, their venture arm focused on creator-led brands, and JERi, a newly launched creator marketing agency built around what the company describes as collaborative intelligence.

In her new role, Walters will act as a subject matter expert on creator-first talent management while driving expansion in the UK market. Over the next year, she plans to launch Shine School, an internal training curriculum for talent managers, and a Creator Resource Portal intended to standardize onboarding and support long-term roster retention.

Shine currently represents more than 300 creators, works with more than 2,000 brands and agencies, and manages more than 3,000 campaigns quarterly, according to the company.

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