Warner Music MENA Appoints New Leadership Team
Warner Music Group has promoted Ahmed Nureni to Managing Director and hired Ahmad Alghawanmeh as General Manager for its MENA division.
Ahmed Nureni and Ahmad Alghawanmeh have been appointed to lead Warner Music MENA’s vision and commercial growth following organizational changes. Warner Music Group expanded its Middle East and North Africa leadership team on October 6, promoting Nureni to managing director and hiring Alghawanmeh from Sony Music Entertainment as general manager. The appointments aim to further accelerate momentum for the regional division.
Ahmed Nureni reports to Guillermo Gonzalez, President of Warner Music EMEA. Ahmad Alghawanmeh reports directly to Nureni. Warner Music MENA operates in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Morocco.
Roles and responsibilities defined
Ahmed Nureni will oversee Warner Music MENA’s overarching vision, corporate development, strategic joint ventures, and catalog expansion across all markets. Ahmad Alghawanmeh will lead the region’s commercial growth, business development, market expansion, and multi-territory operational delivery.
Executive backgrounds and prior experience
Both executives bring extensive regional and digital expertise. Ahmad Alghawanmeh joined Sony Music Entertainment in 2018 as associate director, digital sales and revenue. He was later promoted to Director of Digital Business and Partner Growth, and then to Vice President, Revenue & Growth Strategy. Prior to Sony, Alghawanmeh joined Universal Music Group in 2013 as a Digital Account Manager, later becoming Senior Digital Partnership Manager.
Ahmed Nureni was named General Manager of Warner Music Middle East in October 2022, as Moe Hamzeh stepped down as Managing Director. He was appointed following WMG’s acquisition of distributor Qanawat Music earlier that year.
Context of recent organizational changes
The appointments follow the full integration of Qanawat Music into ADA, Warner Music Group’s independent distribution and label services division. According to WMG, this integration established a premier distribution engine for the region. The move came three months after WMG announced it would fold Qanawat Music into ADA, part of an expansion led by Howard Corner, Head of ADA, EMEA. Qanawat Music was to be renamed ADA x Qanawat Music. Ahmed Nureni remained General Manager of the distributor through this process.
Strategic investments and market momentum
Nureni has driven growth through joint ventures, talent investments, and artist signings. Since 2022, he expanded WMG's presence via a joint venture with Riyadh-based Merwas to launch a Saudi and Gulf record label, announced in October 2025. WMG also points to its 2023 strategic investment in HuManagement, a talent agency based in the Gulf Cooperation Council region, and major artist signings including Egyptian pop superstar Tamer Hosny.
The regional market is booming. Recorded music revenues in MENA grew 15.2% year-on-year in 2025, according to IFPI’s Global Music Report 2026. That made MENA the joint second-fastest-growing region globally, alongside Sub-Saharan Africa, behind Latin America. In 2024, MENA was the world’s fastest-growing region, with revenues up 22.8%. Streaming accounted for 97.5% of MENA’s recorded music revenues in 2025.
Guillermo Gonzalez said, 'MENA continues to be one of the fastest-growing music markets in the world, and Warner Music is committed to staying at the forefront of that momentum.' Ahmed Nureni stated, 'I’m excited to be stepping into this new role at Warner Music MENA.' Ahmad Alghawanmeh added, 'I’m delighted to join Ahmed and the talented teams across the region at such a key moment.'
Warner Music MENA aims to become the number one destination for artists across the Arab world by combining global resources with local expertise.
