Ian Holder, Tariq Stewart Are New Senior Vice Presidents at Capitol Records
Photos by Sony Music Publishing and A&R at RCA
Capitol Records named two highly respected creative executives—Ian Holder and Tariq Stewart—senior vice presidents of A&R (artists and repertoire) at the label. The two executives will lead Capitol’s Urban A&R team, signing and developing talent on the company’s growing roster of artists. Holder joins Capitol after an eight-year tenure at Sony Music Publishing, where he most recently served as senior vice president of Creative. He began his career in 2003 as an intern in Columbia Records’ A&R department before moving on to an executive role at BMI.
Tariq Troy Stewart joins Capitol after a lengthy tenure at RCA Records, where he worked closely with label President Mark Pitts on Chris Brown’s 11:11 (Deluxe) album that went on to win the GRAMMY Award for Best R&B album. Over the years he has worked on projects from other major artists. He began his A&R career at RCA in 2020 after a successful run as a football player at Florida A&M.
Indira Etwaroo: Harlem Stage’s CEO and Artistic Director
Indira Etwaroo Ph.D., a Network Journal 40 Under Forty honoree, began her work in July 2024 as the artistic director and CEO of Harlem Stage, succeeding Patricia Cruz who led the New York cultural institution that supports new work by visionary artists of color for 25 years. Producer, director, scholar, and arts and cultural executive, Etwaroo holds a vision of growth and expansion for Harlem Stage, seeking innovative means of telling the institution’s story further and wider, and ensuring that the artistry nurtured and presented by the organization is experienced by larger audiences on both live and virtual stages.
Etwaroo’s most recent tenure prior to joining Harlem Stage was as the first director of theatre at the Steve Jobs Theater at Apple in Cupertino, Calif. She previously served as executive artistic director of the Billie Holiday Theatre in Brooklyn, leading it through radical growth, increasing revenue by more than 200 percent. She also helmed the launch of The Black Seed, a groundbreaking initiative that fundraised more than $10 million of support for Black theatres throughout the U.S. during COVID. She was the founding executive producer of The Greene Space in New York City, bringing live, on-air and online video content to audiences across the world; and the founding executive producer and director of NPR Presents, the global live events platform.
“I have lived my life governed by values of artistry, democracy, and equity,” Etwaroo shared at Harlem Stage’s gala in June 2024. “It is not lost on me that my leadership tenure begins at a time when we must face—head on—the fragility of our fractured democracy, challenge demagoguery and the normalization of blatant falsehoods, and demand that cultural institutions be thought of as first responders and artists as frontline workers in this quest to create a more just, more truthful, more inclusive and more equitable world for the next generation and for generations to come. I am deeply committed to the work ahead.”
Etwaroo, who has Guyanese roots, holds a Ph.D. in cultural studies, performance studies and dance, African American aesthetics, and Women’s studies from Temple University; a master’s in education—Med, Dance from Temple; a master’s in educational curriculum from Willian and Mary, and a bachelor of music education degree from Longwood University.
Olajumoke (Jumo) Ayandele Steps Into Full-time Faculty Roles at NYU
Nigerian security scholar Olajumoke (Jumo) Ayandele Ph.D. is now a clinical assistant professor in the Center for Global Affairs at NYU’s School of Professional Studies (SPS), having started at the Center as a senior fellow then moving into a visiting assistant faculty role. Recognized as a distinguished African security scholar, Ayandele maintains collaborative partnerships with international and regional decision-makers, including the United Nations Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), as well as governmental institutions, to advance human security initiatives and programs that contribute to a peaceful and secure Africa. Her applied research and advisory roles ensure that students gain unique insights into the most pressing issues facing Africa and the broader global community.
Ayandele holds a Ph.D. in global affairs from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, an M.P.A. in international development policy and management, and a B.A. in economics (Hons.) from New York University.
