TrueNorth Cos. announced that Trent Tillman will succeed Jason Smith as president of the insurance brokerage. Smith will remain CEO, and Tillman, in addition to his new duties as president, will retain his responsibilities as EVP of the transportation division.

As president of TrueNorth, Tillman will evolve his role from not only leading the 100-plus employees in the transportation division, but also leading the firm’s 400-plus employees towards strategic growth of the company. According to TrueNorth, this transition marks a milestone in the company’s succession strategy to remain privately held and perpetuated from within. 

“I’m thrilled to extend my role as president to Trent and am confident that the decision to co-lead will support our clients, colleagues, and communities for years to come,” Smith said. “Trent and I have a strong history of developing innovative solutions that serve our clients and benefit the transportation industry. I’m looking forward to bringing that same intention and focus to teams throughout our firm.”

Tillman began his career with TrueNorth out of college in 2003. In 2017, he became EVP of the transportation division, where for the last five years he has supported the team as it doubled in size in all respects—colleagues, clients, and revenue—making TrueNorth one of the largest transportation risk management and insurance brokers in North America.

Tillman will remain engaged in the transportation industry through his active engagement with American Trucking Associations (ATA), the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA), and the Intermodal Association of North America, among others.

“I’ve had the great fortune of working alongside Jason my entire career,” Tillman said. “I’m looking forward to partnering with him and TrueNorth’s executive leadership to champion innovation and strengthen the ties between TrueNorth’s growth and operations initiatives.”