Rick Christiaanse is no longer the CEO of Invest Alberta after an abrupt and as-of-yet unexplained resignation earlier this week.
Christiaanse served as CEO for four years at the provincially established, multi-million-dollar economic development corporation. Keith Bradley, the organization’s former COO, has been named acting CEO during Christiaanse’s absence.
Invest Alberta was established as a crown corporation by the province in 2020 to help Alberta recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. With a $17-million budget, the corporation’s mandate is to attract investment from a diversity of industries. It reports directly to Alberta’s premier.
According to The Globe and Mail, news of Christiaanse’s departure was shared internally at Invest Alberta on Monday through an email to stakeholders. Bradley outlined that he would take on the role of CEO “to ensure continuity and stability.” A leadership update was also posted to Invest Alberta’s website, but has since been pulled down.
BetaKit reached out to Invest Alberta on Tuesday to ask what had caused Christiaanse to leave so abruptly and who was being considered to permanently replace him as CEO. Invest Alberta’s response did not answer those questions. Instead, it reiterated publicly available information about Christiaanse’s departure.
“Prior to his resignation, Rick Christiaanse spent four years promoting Alberta as a secure and attractive place to invest and do business. Working with Alberta’s investment attraction partners, Rick and his team helped bring significant investment to the province. We are confident Invest Alberta will continue to ensure that Alberta remains a destination of choice for global investors,” A statement emailed from Gemma Acworth, Invest Alberta’s director of communications and external relations, read.
The statement added that Bradley, the new acting CEO, has been instrumental in Invest Alberta’s success and will provide steady leadership.
BetaKit has also reached out to Premier Danielle Smith’s office for comment.
BetaKit’s Prairies reporting is funded in part by YEGAF, a not-for-profit dedicated to amplifying business stories in Alberta.
Feature image courtesy Unsplash. Photo by Kyler Nixon.