Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits (SGWS) recently announced that Brad Vassar has been appointed to the new role of Strategic Advisor to the Chief Executive Officer and will also become a member of the company’s Board of Managers, effective September 8.
In this new capacity, Vassar will continue to report to SGWS CEO Wayne Chaplin as well as continue to provide leadership and oversight of the company’s Exceptional Leaders Program. He will also provide mentoring for the company’s key commercial leadership team: John Wittig, Chief Commercial Officer; Gene Sullivan, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer; and David Chaplin, Chief Growth Officer.
“Brad’s professionalism has helped change the landscape of the distribution tier in the U.S. market, while at the same time helping shape our change agenda at Southern Glazer’s,” Wayne Chaplin commented on the appointment. “He has left his leadership mark on our company, our employees, and our culture, and for that I personally will forever be grateful. Brad will be missed in our day-to-day activities and on the front lines but will continue to be involved and assist us with his thoughts and vision as a Strategic Advisor and Board Member.”
“I have been fortunate to be a part of the Southern Glazer’s family for nearly 30 years, working for the most loyal people I have ever known,” Vassar said. “As a manager, it is my responsibility to repay that loyalty by helping prepare the next generation of leaders and to know the right time to let them succeed on their own. For me, that time is now. Wayne is the smartest, hardest-working person in this business, and we at Southern Glazer’s are fortunate to have a deep bench of leaders ready now to continue to ensure this company evolves and is even better over the next decade and beyond. I am honored to help Wayne and the company in any way going forward.”
Vassar joined the company in 1991 as a District Manager for the Central Valley in California and later became Branch Manager for Sacramento Valley. After serving as General Manager of Southern California and General Manager of Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Vassar was ultimately promoted to Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Southern Wine & Spirits and, later, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at SGWS.
