Ahmed Nureni has been named as the new General Manager of Warner Music Middle East. In his new role, he’ll report to Alfonso Perez-Soto, President, Emerging Markets, Warner Recorded Music, and continue to be based in Dubai.

Nureni will also remain GM of Qanawat Music, the leading music distributor in the Middle East and North Africa, which was acquired by Warner Music Group earlier this year. In that position, he will continue to work closely with Adnan Al-Obthani, the founder of Qanawat Music.

Moe Hamzeh, who helped establish Warner Music Middle East in 2018, has stepped down as Managing Director after five years at the helm to pursue other music projects. The change doesn’t impact the rest of Warner Music Middle East’s employees in Beirut who will remain based in the city.

Warner Music Middle East was founded in 2018 and covers Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

Ahmed Nureni says: “I’m excited to be heading Warner Music Middle East, alongside my responsibilities at Qanawat. The dual role will allow me to harness synergies from both businesses and be thoughtful and strategic in the way we grow Warner Music Middle East’s artist roster. There’s so much creative potential in our region and we’re only just beginning to tap into it. I’m looking forward to working closely with our team in Beirut and promise them the next few years are going to be hugely exciting!”

Alfonso Perez-Soto adds: “Ahmed is a brilliant exec who combines an amazing ear for music with a brilliant strategic mind. We’ve been working together since Qanawat joined the Warner Music family and I knew he’d be the perfect person for this role. With the support of our amazing team in Beirut, he’ll champion artists from the region and help them connect with a global audience. I’d also like to thank Moe Hamzeh for all his amazing support over the last five years and wish him good luck in his next adventures.”

Simon Robson, President, International, Warner Recorded Music, concludes: “The Middle East and North Africa is the fastest-growing region in the world for the recorded music industry, with some great talent coming through. It is a priority market for us, highlighted by our accelerated activity in MENA in the last 18 months, but we have further ambitious growth plans, which Ahmed will help us deliver.”

Ahmed Nureni has worked in the music industry for more than 14 years, helping artists, labels and content creators in the Middle East and North Africa maximise their digital reach and monetisation across the region and on global platforms.