Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce

Frank Goose, our Chief Risk Officer. Also on the call today are a number of our group heads, including Sean Bieber, U.S. Region, Raj Panosian, Personal and Business Banking Canada, and Susan Rimmer, Commercial Banking and Wealth Management Canada. They're all available to take questions following the prepared remarks. We have a hard stop at 8.30 and would like to give everyone a chance to participate, so we ask that you please limit your questions to one and re-queue in the Q&A. We'll make ourselves available after the call for any follow-ups. As noted on slide two of our investor presentation, our comments may contain forward-looking statements which involve assumptions and have inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially. I would also remind listeners that the bank uses non-GAAP financial measures to arrive at adjusted results. Management measures performance on a reported and adjusted basis and considers both to be useful in assessing underlying business performance. With that, I will now turn the call over to Victor.

Thanks, Jeff, and good morning, everyone. I'm pleased to report that we delivered strong results and continued our momentum in the second quarter. Our performance reaffirms that our strategy is working. Our resilience through heightened uncertainty showcases the depth of our client relationships, our credit quality, and the strength of our balance sheet. Before I turn to our second quarter performance, I'd like to make a brief comment on the leadership announcements we made on March 13th. As you know, I'll be retiring as CEO of our bank at the end of our first fiscal year. It's been an incredible journey over the past 10 plus years, and I'm proud of what we've accomplished together across our CIBC team. I'm also proud and excited to be passing the baton to Harry Cullum, the result of a thoughtful and multi-year succession planning process. As part of the transition, Harry was named Chief Operating Officer and will assume the role of President and CEO on November the 1st. His global experience, growth-oriented mindset, and track record for delivering results make him the ideal person to lead CIBC into the future. I look forward to working closely with Harry and our leadership team to ensure a smooth transition over the next several months. Before I continue with our second quarter highlights, I'd like to invite Harry to make a few comments. Over to you, Harry.

Well, thank you, Victor. Good morning, everyone. Let me start by expressing how honoured I am to be taking on the role of President and CEO of CIBC. I would just like to take a moment to recognize Victor for his dedication and positive influence on our bank, his support over the years, and his continued leadership through this transition. We will continue to operate with the hallmarks his leadership has instilled over the past decade, including the relentless client focus, connected and purpose-led culture, and consistent execution to deliver results for all of our stakeholders. Over the last few months, I've spent a lot of time meeting with our broader CIBC team and our clients and other stakeholders to gather perspectives. My takeaways reinforce my belief that we have something special. Our team members are proud, our partnerships are strong, and our clients value our differentiated advice. I'm also excited about the opportunity to work alongside our exceptional leadership team, each of whom has had a hand in crafting and executing the client-focused strategy that's driving our success. Today, we will continue to build on our momentum and drive CIBC to new heights. And with that, I'll turn it back to you, Victor.