Tim Jones has retired as chairman of the Barry Rogliano Salles (BRS) Group and has been succeeded by chief executive Francois Cadiou.
The role was handed over at the group's board meeting in Luxembourg last week.
BRS' partnership agreement stipulates the partners must resign from the board on reaching the age of 65, which also caused Bruno Jourdan Barry to stepped down as a director at the meeting.
Jones has been chairman of the Paris-headquartered group since 2014.
He said it was a "real privilege and honour to be at the helm of the company".
"BRS is a very special place to work. We have always shared the good times with everyone but most importantly it is a fun place to work, where we didn’t just have jobs, we have lifestyles and friends," he commented.
Cadiou said Jones had "perfectly prepared the next act" for the French group.
"The changeover of crew on the bridge of a company is always a delicate matter, but the organisation that BRS has had in place for now 30 years facilitated this transfer, I have personally experienced the transition of four chairmen since my arrival at BRS in 1990," he said.
"I am very enthusiastic to take up the new challenge and develop BRS further into the 'brokerage of tomorrow'."
As well as its core shipbroking business, the BRS Group is active in freight derivatives, software technology, market intelligence and maritime consulting.
The group, which employs 500 people across 18 offices worldwide, also holds investments in data management and chartering software provider AXSMarine and the Alpha Brands.
