Influencer, the world’s largest independent creator marketing agency, today announced the appointment of Hayden Bowler as Head of Commerce, marking a significant step in the company’s evolution as commerce becomes a core growth engine within the creator economy.

Hayden joins Influencer at a pivotal moment, as brands move beyond experimentation and begin making sustained investments in creator-led growth and social commerce. His appointment reflects Influencer’s decision to establish commerce as a distinct, dedicated division, designed to collaborate seamlessly with its core brand teams while bringing specialized expertise across retail strategy, platform nuance, performance measurement, and creator monetization.

“Commerce is no longer an extension of influencer marketing, it’s a discipline in its own right,” said Jenny Penich, President of North America at Influencer. “We identified early that succeeding in this space requires its own leadership, expertise, and operating model. Hayden brings the experience and perspective needed to build this capability at scale, without compromising the quality or integration our clients expect.”

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Why Influencer Created a Dedicated Commerce Role

Brands are no longer treating commerce as a side experiment. They are increasingly asking how creator-led commerce fits into their broader retail and growth plans, not just individual campaigns. That shift made clear the need for a single leader accountable for building and scaling the capability.

“Commerce has become more complex and more central to how brands use creators,” explained Jenny. “It requires focused expertise around how platforms, brands, and creators work together. 

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Building Commerce for the Creator Era

Hayden brings a distinct blend of experience across creator partnerships, merchandising, and talent management. Having played a key role in scaling creator commerce initiatives at TikTok and working directly with creators on monetization strategies, he offers a performance-driven perspective on where the creator economy is heading.

“Influencer’s creator-first approach is transforming how we deliver impact for brands across creative, media, and commerce,” said Hayden. “I’ve spent my career supporting creators and helping them build sustainable businesses, so joining an agency founded by a creator really resonated with me. The timing also felt right. Brands are ready to move beyond experimentation and invest seriously in creator-led growth and social commerce. Influencer is perfectly positioned to lead that shift in the U.S. and globally.”

Hayden will oversee the development of Influencer’s commerce capability across strategy, execution, and measurement by deepening platform partnerships and helping brands connect creator-led storytelling to real commercial outcomes.

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Commerce as a Core Growth Engine

For Influencer, commerce represents the intersection of influence and impact where creator trust translates into measurable performance.

“Commerce is where creator influence turns into real, measurable results,” explained Hayden. “It’s also far more accessible to everyday creators than traditional monetization like large, one-off brand deals. For brands, it unlocks a scalable, performance-driven channel that still feels human and authentic. Getting that balance right is what excites me most.”

As brand and performance budgets continue to converge, Influencer sees commerce becoming increasingly integrated into how clients brief, fund, and measure creator work, connecting awareness and conversion within a single agency solution.

“The significance of commerce within Influencer will only continue to grow,” said Jenny. “Not as a standalone capability, but as a core part of how we drive results for brands and creators, and how we help bridge brand and performance in a more modern, accountable way.”