Rob Watson hasn’t just returned to the C-Suite at Top 40 supplier Vantage Apparel (asi/93390); he’s now at the helm of it.

Vantage announced today that it has named Watson to the position of chief executive officer.

Rob Watson, Vantage Apparel (asi/93390)

Company founder and longtime President/CEO Ira Neaman, a member of Counselor’s Power 50 list of promo’s most influential people, is transitioning to the role of president/executive chairman, where he’ll focus on the Avenel, NJ-headquartered supplier’s vision, strategy and business development.

“Rob's return to Vantage Apparel as CEO is an exciting development for our company,” said Neaman. “Rob’s extensive industry experience, combined with his prior contributions to our organization, positions him to lead Vantage to new heights. We are confident that under his leadership, we will continue to provide our customers with the highest-quality promotional apparel and new, innovative services.”

In a promo career that has encompassed leadership roles at major industry companies, including Top 40 distributors, Watson previously spent more than three years with Vantage, playing a pivotal role in enhancing customer experience, streamlining operations and driving business-development initiatives. His positions included chief digital officer and chief experience officer. Watson was most recently vice president at Arizona-based supplier Zing Manufacturing (asi/99025).

As CEO of Vantage Apparel, Watson will work to advance the firm’s strategic initiatives, expand the company's product lines and build its market presence.

“Vantage has a long-standing reputation for quality, innovation and exceptional decoration services, and I'm committed to building on that legacy,” said Watson. “We have an exciting journey ahead, and I look forward to collaborating with our team and our distributor partners to drive our company forward in the industry.”

Watson noted that Vantage’s global footprint, through its 2021 acquisition of Poland-based branded apparel provider Lynka, will be a keen strategic focus. John Lynch, Counselor’s 2022 International Person of the Year, will continue as president of Lynka and help, as Vantage put it, “strengthen the vision of continued international programming for the network of companies.”

“Rob’s extensive industry experience, combined with his prior contributions to our organization, positions him to lead Vantage to new heights.” Ira Neaman, Vantage Apparel

High-Profile Industry Leadership

During his first term with Vantage, Watson’s achievements included helping to transform the company’s digital presence to meet the growing need for on-demand, e-commerce solutions.

While Watson was at Zing, the supplier debuted a redesigned website, started selling more than 40 SKUs from retail brand Anker in the promo space, upgraded its warehousing and fulfillment services, and launched a headline-grabbing sustainability campaign called the “100 Million Bottle Initiative.”

Beyond his work at Vantage Apparel and Zing, Watson was chief marketing officer at former Top 40 distributor Axis Promotions – now part of Top 40 firm HALO Branded Solutions (asi/356000) – and spent more than five years at ASI, where he was vice president of digital user experience and then senior vice president of marketing and user experience.

“Rob’s proven leadership skills and industry knowledge will be instrumental in shaping [Vantage’s] future and ensuring its continued success,” the company said in a statement.

Based on reported 2022 North American promotional product revenue of $49 million, Vantage Apparel ranked 39^th on Counselor’s most recent list of the largest suppliers in the industry.