The Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba has announced the hiring of Mark Humphries as the new General Manager.

Humphries will fill the position that has been vacant for two years, “It is truly an honour to be joining this prestigious and cherished organization as General Manager.” Humphries will oversee the day-to-day operations, adhere to policies and budgets, and provide leadership to employees of the non-profit organization.

The General Manager position has been vacant since June of 2020 when Ron Kristjansson retired, a position he held for six years. The search for his replacement was thwarted by the pandemic. 

Kathy Cleaver, President of the Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba is looking forward to Humphries’ arrival, “His energy, enthusiasm and regional experience is a great asset for us. Our Board of Directors and I have no doubt that Mark will do a great job as part of the Provincial Ex team”.

“We had 20 applications to consider. Mark has a lot of experience in the event business and he’s a musician and is well connected on boards. He’s full of ideas on how to move forward and he comes to us with a lot of enthusiasm.”

Humphries and his wife, Jill, have two grown children. The family moved to Manitoba from the United Kingdom about 15 years ago, and for the last several years have been operating a greenhouse and small farm about an hour west of Brandon.

After the pandemic restrictions started to lift in 2021, the Provincial Exhibition successfully hosted Manitoba AG EX with the required rules and regulations, then the 2022 Royal Manitoba Winter Fair and the Manitoba Summer Fair. Humphries will join the organization in time to help with planning for the 2022 Manitoba AG EX, he starts work September 6th.

“He’s already attending weekly meetings and learn the ropes and getting to know the people. I wouldn’t be surprised if he isn’t full time on the grounds well before his start date in September.