Englishvan
noun
he was in the van of the movement:
forefront, vanguard, advance guard, avant-garde, spearhead, front, front line, front rank, fore, lead, leading position, cutting edge, driving force;
leaders, founders, founding fathers, pioneers, architects, creators, instigators, trailblazers, pathfinders, avant-gardists, trendsetters, innovators, groundbreakers.
▷antonyms rear; followers.
van (2) Oxford Dictionary of English