EMPIRE has appointed Leesa Brunson-Boland as Senior Vice President, A&R Operations, and Bina Fronda as Senior Vice President, Marketing.
Both executives are based in the independent music company’s New York office.
The two hires were announced on Tuesday (October 27), with EMPIRE framing them as part of its continued growth.
In her role, Brunson-Boland will oversee A&R Operations within EMPIRE‘s A&R department.
According to EMPIRE, she will provide strategic leadership and support across A&R teams, improving workflows and strengthening cross-functional collaboration to ensure projects move from recording through release.
Brunson-Boland previously served as Head of A&R Operations at 300 Entertainment, which she joined in 2020 after nearly two decades at Def Jam Recordings.
“I have known Leesa for over 20 years and her commitment to artists and her operational expertise is going to be invaluable to our artists.”
Tina Davis, EMPIRE
At Def Jam, she worked with artists including Rihanna, Jay-Z, Justin Bieber, and Teyana Taylor.
“I have known Leesa for over 20 years and her commitment to artists and her operational expertise is going to be invaluable to our artists and to our team as we expand the scope of the A&R team’s mandate,” said Tina Davis, President, EMPIRE.
Fronda joins EMPIRE from Ultra Records, where she was VP of Marketing.
At Ultra, according to EMPIRE, she worked with artists such as Steve Aoki, SOFI TUKKER, and Benny Benassi to maximize revenue and exposure opportunities.
Fronda will support EMPIRE‘s marketing efforts, with a focus on strengthening the company’s dance, pop, and general market artists.
Her appointment comes as EMPIRE continues to broaden its roster beyond its core genres.
“Bina’s experience scaling artist brands and her understanding of the current market is critical as EMPIRE continues to build out our Dance business and explore other genres and markets,” said Peter Kadin, EVP, Marketing at EMPIRE.
“Bina’s experience scaling artist brands and her understanding of the current market is critical as EMPIRE continues to build out our Dance business.”
Peter Kadin, EMPIRE
EMPIRE said the appointments strengthen two parts of its model: an A&R operation built to deliver projects on time and at scale, and a marketing team built to break artists across genres and territories.
Both roles add senior leadership to the teams that take EMPIRE‘s artists from the studio to a global audience, the company said.
The hires come less than three weeks after EMPIRE Publishing hired Emilio Morales from Rimas Publishing as SVP, Business Development for Latin America.
Brunson-Boland‘s arrival reunites her with another Def Jam A&R alum: EMPIRE President Tina Davis, who was the first woman to lead the A&R department at Def Jam Recordings, a role she held for more than 10 years. Davis joined EMPIRE in 2018 and was promoted to President in 2023.
EMPIRE was founded in 2010 by Ghazi Shami and is headquartered in San Francisco, with businesses spanning recorded music, distribution, publishing, merchandise, and label services.
The company says it has helped launch artists including Kendrick Lamar and Shaboozey, the latter of whom signed a publishing deal with EMPIRE in February.
The SVP hires add to a period of expansion for EMPIRE across territories and divisions.
In October 2024, the company signed Korean artist G-Dragon as part of a push into Asia, and in July 2025 it launched in the Nordic region. In November 2025, it promoted Vinny Kumar to President of EMPIRE Publishing.
Beyond EMPIRE itself, founder Ghazi launched B2B company Supply Chain globally on October 21, with Beatport-owned Ampsuite as a launch partner.Music Business Worldwide