From bedrooms to boardrooms: how creators became unexpected corporate executives

Creators like Steven Bartlett, Vivian Tu and Leah Ketab are emerging as unlikely additions to corporate boardrooms, as brands begin formalising their influence in advisory and strategy roles. The movement remains early, but figures within the creator-economy space told The Daily Influence it reflects a natural transition for creators, whose authority is rooted in audience understanding rather than traditional corporate pathways.

In a statement to The Daily Influence, John Hu, chief executive and co-founder of Stan, said the shift is driven by the fact that companies are increasingly recognising creator insight as strategically valuable and not just a tool for marketing reach. “[Creators] are closest to the customer and they know how to turn attention into revenue,” he said, adding that it is a “skill companies are starting to value at a strategic level.”

Hu put his words into practice this year, appointing Steven Bartlett as co-owner of Stan Store – an e-commerce and link-in-bio platform that helps creators easily sell digital products. 

Bartlett is best known for hosting The Diary of a CEO podcast, alongside a string of entrepreneurial endeavours. At the time of the announcement, he described his appointment as co-owner as the “biggest deal of his life”, noting the platform was generating “$30m+ in annual revenue.”

Meanwhile, Vivian Tu, a former Wall Street trader turned financial content creator, was last month appointed SoFi’s first Chief of Financial Empowerment.

The honorary role expands on her two-year partnership with the fintech company and will see her collaborate with the firm on financial-literacy content and lead a Generational Wealth Fund initiative set to launch in 2026. SoFi said the appointment comes at a time when many Americans report low financial confidence and uncertainty about where to find trusted guidance.

In beauty, creator and former Love Island USA contestant Leah Ketab was appointed Chief Creative Officer and “Refounder” of clean fragrance brand Skylar this July. 

The position gives her oversight over the brand’s creative identity, including scent development, packaging and campaign shoots, as part of the company’s efforts to connect with younger audiences. 

In an interview with Forbes, Ketab said the partnership transpired organically after the brand reached out following a viral perfume TikTok video. “We clicked instantly, and a few months later, my agency told me Skylar wanted to meet about me actually taking over the brand,” she said, adding that she had long been ruminating over starting her own line.

Together, these appointments indicate a gradual but noticeable shift in how companies view creator expertise – moving from treating creators as distribution channels to recognising them as contributors to brand strategy, consumer insight and creative direction in their own right.

As brands look ahead to 2026, more formalised creator appointments and advisory roles are likely to follow, particularly in sectors where audience behaviour is shifting fastest. Bartlett, Tu and Ketab may be early examples, but their trajectories suggest that companies are beginning to explore how creator insight can shape decisions beyond the feed and, increasingly, from within the boardroom.