Roc Nation Names Shari Bryant and Omar Grant Co-Presidents of Label

Industry veterans Shari Bryant and Omar Grant have been named co-presidents of Roc Nation's record label, the Jay-Z founded company announced on Monday. The pair will be tasked with boosting the imprint's talent roster, while developing strategies for current signed artists.

"Shari and Omar love culture and all it encompasses," said Tyran Smith, president of A&R and a Roc Nation founder, in a press release. "Both are consummate professionals who understand and respect artists and their process. It’s an honor to work alongside and see them at the helm, poised to usher in the next Roc Nation generation."

The move marks a return to Jay-Z's orbit for Bryant, who began her career as an intern at his now-defunct Roc-A-Fella Records before moving on to roles at Roc-A-Fella parent Def Jam, as well as Atlantic Record and Warner Bros. She arrives at Roc Nation from Alamo Records, where she held the role of general manager and partner.

"There is no better way to celebrate my 20th anniversary in the music business than to return home," Bryant said. "The values and lessons that the Roc Nation founders instilled in me provided me the tools to become the best executive I could possibly be. I am honored to make even more history with my family."

Grant has spent close to a decade at Roc Nation, where he rose to head of A&R. Over the years, Grant has worked alongside such artists as Rihanna, Big Sean, Shakira and Belly, and recent signees DJ Mustard and Rainy. He kicked off his music biz career as an intern at Columbia Records and later worked as road manager for Destiny's Child, followed by senior A&R roles at EMI Music Publishing and Epic Records.

"After nine incredible years here, it's an unbelievable honor to step into this new role," said Grant. "Inspiration comes from the top down at Roc Nation, and the founders set a precedent for a culture of progress in terms of both business and creativity. That’s a legacy I’m humbled to uphold and extend as co-president."

Bryant and Grant are filling the shoes of former label president Benny Pough, who departed in March after nearly 18 months in the role. Shortly after, the imprint said goodbye to several other senior-level executives in promotion, marketing and A&R.