If you want to know where a workforce solutions company is headed, look at who gets a seat at the boardroom table. TrueBlue, parent to brands like PeopleReady, PeopleScout, and PeopleManagement, is clearly signaling its next phase: deeper operational discipline and sharper innovation across hiring, screening, logistics, and large-scale workforce delivery.
The company announced it is adding William Greenblatt and William Seward to its Board of Directors effective January 5, 2026, following a months-long search guided by an independent recruitment firm and input from major shareholders. For a company navigating economic uncertainty, labor supply shifts, and accelerating digital transformation across recruitment and staffing, these picks aren’t subtle—they’re strategic.
A Hiring-Tech Architect Joins the Table
If you’ve ever taken a pre-employment background check, odds are good that the process was shaped—at least in part—by William Greenblatt.
Greenblatt founded Sterling Infosystems in 1975, long before background screening became a standard step in hiring. Under his leadership—first as CEO and later as Chairman—Sterling expanded into one of the world’s largest screening providers, eventually attracting a majority investment from Goldman Sachs’ Merchant Banking Division in 2015.
He later returned as CEO in 2018 to refocus Sterling on innovation and growth. Today, he chairs Montague Street Capital, where he invests in and advises business-services companies.
In a staffing industry where trust, verification, and compliance have become differentiators—not afterthoughts—Greenblatt’s background screening pedigree is an asset with immediate relevance. As TrueBlue leans deeper into technology, automation, digital compliance, and talent intelligence, having the original architect of scalable background-screening infrastructure on the board is no small win.
A Global Operations Veteran Steps In
On the other side of the expertise spectrum is William Seward, a 30-year operations powerhouse with a résumé built inside the world’s biggest logistics machine: UPS.
Seward spent decades at the company, including stints as:
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President, UPS Supply Chain Solutions
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President, UPS Americas Region
He currently serves as Executive Vice President and COO of Vestis Corporation, a $2.2B provider of uniforms and workplace supplies. Think industrial operations at scale, with complex supply chains, tight margins, and relentless demands for efficiency—a world that looks surprisingly similar to high-volume workforce management.
TrueBlue’s operations span temporary staffing, contingent workforce programs, and recruitment outsourcing—all areas where execution is the product. Seward’s expertise in running massive, intricate networks will likely influence TrueBlue’s long-term push for operational excellence, margin improvement, and scalable service delivery.
Shareholders Approve—and Influence—the Shift
TrueBlue hasn’t been shy about refreshing its board in recent years, and this latest move appears closely aligned with shareholder priorities.
Richard Pzena, founder of Pzena Investment Management—TrueBlue’s largest shareholder—praised the appointments as “additions at the right time,” underscoring that the board evolution aligns with an investment thesis centered on long-term profitability and sustainable growth.
Behind the scenes, this signals two things:
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Shareholders want stronger execution and sharper strategy.
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TrueBlue is listening.
This matters in a staffing industry increasingly shaped by technology platforms, cost pressures, and demand for faster, more accurate workforce deployment.
A Planned Board Transition
As part of TrueBlue’s ongoing refresh program, two current directors will step down at or before the 2026 Annual Meeting of Shareholders. After the transition, the board will total nine directors, eight classified as independent.
For governance watchers, this is a strong signal of stability: a slimmer, more specialized board aligned toward operational oversight, digital transformation, workforce technology, and shareholder priorities.
The company has spent the past several years rebalancing the board toward areas like:
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talent technology
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HR automation
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workforce solutions
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operational excellence
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global logistics
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compliance innovation
Greenblatt and Seward check several of those boxes—arguably more than most.
Why These Appointments Matter in the HR Tech and Staffing Landscape
TrueBlue operates in a highly competitive marketplace transforming faster than many predicted. The labor market is tight; enterprise clients are demanding more data, more automation, more visibility, and less friction; and gig platforms have raised the bar for speed and reliability.
Overlay that with the rise of AI-driven hiring tools, automated onboarding, digital credentialing, and predictive workforce planning, and the stakes for staffing and recruitment firms have never been higher.
These board additions suggest TrueBlue is preparing to accelerate:
1. Modernizing digital hiring infrastructure
Greenblatt knows hiring tech and compliance better than almost anyone in the industry.
2. Expanding automation and process efficiency
Seward’s background brings discipline from one of the most operationally sophisticated companies in the world.
3. Strengthening governance and strategic oversight
The board refresh positions TrueBlue to meet increasing investor scrutiny and market demands.
4. Positioning for long-term, scalable growth
Both appointments align with a multi-year strategy of upgrading operations, delivering stronger client outcomes, and boosting profitability.
A Quiet but Important Move in Workforce Technology
This may not be the kind of announcement that grabs headlines outside the business press, but inside the HR tech and staffing ecosystem, it’s notable. TrueBlue’s decision to add experts in background screening innovation and global operations is a sign of where enterprise workforce solutions are headed: faster, smarter, more secure, more efficient.
It also reinforces a trend across the industry: The companies that win the next decade will be the ones that can combine deep operational execution with technology-driven hiring and workforce management.
TrueBlue is making sure its board reflects that future.
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