Mike Fenton is leaving his role as president and CEO of the National Advertising Benevolent Society of Canada (NABS), as it was announced recently to the NABS Board of Directors and staff.

‘We’ve been discussing a restructuring of the organization for the better part of a year and so this is part of that,’ Fenton says. ‘Secondly for me, it’s timing. I’ve been at NABS for eight and a half years so we’ve been talking about a succession plan and what’s next for me, and this just seemed to be the right time.’

Fenton, who has been with the organization since 2002, has no future plans to announce yet, but will be focusing for the next three months on the transition as NABS searches for a new person to take on the leadership role. Fall also happens to be the key fundraising period for NABS.

During his time there, Fenton has seen NABS expand into Alberta and Quebec, and he has witnessed the changing needs of the industry as demand for assistance almost doubled in the last five years.

‘We’ve made some huge strides during my time at NABS. I think the organization is in a better place in terms of awareness and fundraising and with the continued increased demands for our services, the restructuring is going to help us go to that next level,’ he says. ‘But I’m really quite pleased with…the fact that we’ve been able to double the budget but at the same time continue to help all the people that have come to us.’