Despite the surprising resignation Thursday of its President and CEO Rick Bennett, the Regina Exhibition Association Limited (REAL) believes it is in good hands with acting President and CEO Trent Fraser.

Bennett submitted his resignation, due to “personal and family reasons”, after just five months at the helm of REAL.

Fraser, who served previously as the interim President and CEO of REAL from April 3 to June 30, will return to the organization on Monday.

Jaime Boldt, chair of the REAL board of directors, expressed confidence in Fraser during an appearance Friday on CTV Your Morning Saskatchewan.

“He’s a local guy and a trusted person in our city, and that stability is important for REAL right now, which is why we’re actually not going out to a search anytime soon. We’re going to let Trent put his feet on the ground there and provide some stability,” said Boldt.

“I can’t really speak to Rick’s situation, his personal and family situation, but what I can say is the board made a very swift decision. I had a quick phone call with Trent, and he needed to sort out a few things, but he jumped on board right away with us. We’re so thrilled to have him starting on Monday.”

In Thursday’s announcement, REAL said that a search for a new President and CEO would begin in 2026 and Boldt confirmed there are steps in place for that process.

“We have a search firm that will start up again, and so we’ll look at that in the new year and make some decisions on what the role looks like going forward, and when is the best time to go to market,” said Boldt.