Brian Gilliam Announced as CEO and President of Vanguard

Brian Gilliam Announced as CEO and President of Vanguard

Posted on: February 2, 2022

It is hard to believe that, on February 5th, Vanguard will celebrate its 25th anniversary especially since it seems like only yesterday that I was sending out “Open for Business” notices on my brand new, Epson thermal fax machine. Though that fax machine is long gone…replaced by chatbots, machine learning and virtual servers…it is still a reminder of the need to continuously focus on the future. The future of the industry, the future of the company (and our world class members of staff) and the future of our loyal clients, some of whom have been with us since that very first day.

It has been a remarkable journey that has led Vanguard from its very humble beginnings to where we are today. But as remarkable as that journey has been, what we have in store in 2022 and beyond…new programs, expanding lines of coverage, new acquisitions, entry into brand new territories… will be even more exciting. To help us with this ambitious plan, we are, and will continue, to promote talented staff members, while adding new faces and realigning both Vanguard’s corporate structure as well as the responsibilities of some of our senior management team.

For years, Vanguard has grown organically. By that I mean, we have increased our size by winning new business then promoting and hiring as needed to support that new business. That model has served us very well and will continue uninterrupted. That said, we have come to realize that the growth Vanguard has in store…the growth that is just around the corner…cannot be properly supported by individual hires alone. As a result, in 2022, you will see Vanguard begin a program of strategic acquisition incorporating independent, successful firms into our team in territories and in lines of coverage that will allow us to support the new business that is coming our way.

To ensure the quality of our work only increases and to protect the integrity of the “Vanguard Brand”, this exciting project must be done right…and to do it right will take quite a bit of my time and effort. Over the course of 2020 and even earlier than that, more and more of Vanguard’s daily, corporate oversite has been passed along to Brian Gilliam, Vanguard’s first EVP. That slow and deliberate “hand off” has eased what, otherwise, would have been a complicated transition and, in so doing, allowed me to organize and initiate the strategic acquisitions model I’ll be heading moving forward.

All of this has been possible because I knew I could hand over control. Having been with me…with us…since the very beginning, Brian has personally experienced Vanguard peaks and valleys, our biggest successes, and our most frustrating failures. He has dedicated, sacrificed, and committed himself to Vanguard and its people. There is no one more responsible for our successes than Brian Gilliam and no one better prepared to lead Vanguard into the exciting new future. I am both happy and proud to announce that, starting on the day of our 25th anniversary, I will be assuming the role of Chairman of the Board and that Brian Gilliam will be promoted to President and CEO of the Vanguard companies. Please take a moment and join me in congratulating Brian Gilliam as he steps into this well-deserved new role!

-Robert Gilliam, Chairman of the Board