“This is another important day for Vanguard International and Vanguard Direct as we continue to make structural changes designed to reinforce and grow the business for the Group as a whole,” shared Dirk Winkelmann, President of Vanguard International and Vanguard Direct. 

Ethan Williams has been an integral part of the Vanguard Direct team as Sales Manager for the past two years. With this transfer and promotion, he will shift his focus and expertise to the Vanguard International USA team as Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing. Williams will relocate to Vanguard’s head office in Issaquah, Washington and commences his new role on September 1, 2023. 

“Since day one as a member of the Vanguard International Group, I’ve dreamt of the opportunity to contribute on a more global scale,” reflected Williams. “The privilege to join the Vanguard International team at Asiafruit 2022 in Bangkok further reinforced this desire, and now the dream is coming true thanks to the confidence our leadership has in my ability to generate value through close collaboration with you and our teammates around the world. I look forward to further learning, growing, and excelling alongside my Vanguard peers.” 

Prior to working at Vanguard, Williams worked for seven years in sales and sales planning at Pretty Lady Vineyards, a large California grape grower, packer, and shipper.  During this time, Pretty Lady Vineyards went through significant growth, including becoming a primary grower of Sun World IP varieties.  

While Ethan transitions to his role at Vanguard International with a strong background in North America, and the California grape industry in particular, he also gained in his time at Vanguard Direct an in-depth knowledge of the import deal to include responsibility for many of our key customers, as well as oversight for our port and storage operations.   

“His performance, professionalism, enthusiasm, and open-minded approach to looking at developing the business, plus his interest in the international side of our business, made him an ideal choice to join the Vanguard International team,” shared Winkelmann. “With Ethan’s skill set and existing knowledge of the Vanguard culture and systems, we expect him to exceed expectations in the role, and we know our team at Vanguard will support the transition. Ethan will be missed at Vanguard Direct, but the value we believe he will add to Vanguard International will make us all stronger for it.”  

Ethan Williams will be traveling through Asia during his first days in the new role, which will include attending AsiaFruit Logistica in Hong Kong with the Executive team and his Vanguard teammates.