Transcontinental Inc.

Mesdames et messieurs, merci d'avoir patienté et bienvenue à la conférence téléphonique concernant les résultats du deuxième trimestre de l'exercice 2023 de TC Transcontinental. Pendant la conférence, tous les participants seront en mode écoute seulement. Une période de questions suivra la présentation et des directives vous seront données à ce moment. Nous désirons vous rappeler que cette conférence est enregistrée aujourd'hui le 7 juin 2023. Welcome to the TC Transcontinental Second Quarter of Fiscal 2023 Results Conference Call. During the presentation, all participants will be in a listen-only mode. Afterwards, we will conduct the question and answer session, and instructions will be provided at that time. As a reminder, this conference is being recorded today, June 7, 2023. I would now like to turn the conference over to Yann Lapointe, Director, Investor Relations and Treasury. J'aimerais maintenant céder la parole à Yann Lapointe, Directeur Relations avec les Investisseurs et Trésorerie. Mr. Lapointe, please go ahead.

Thank you, Julie, and good afternoon, everyone. Welcome to Transcontinental's second quarter of fiscal 2023 earnings call. Before we begin, please note that the press release, the MD&A, along with complete financial statements and related notes, as well as the slides supporting management's remarks, are all available on our website at www.tc.tc under the Investor Relations section. A replay of this conference call will also be available on our website shortly after the call. Please note that this conference call is intended for the financial community. Media are in listen-only mode and should contact Nathalie Saint-Jean, Senior Advisor, Corporate Communications, for more information. Some of the financial measures discussed over the course of this conference call are non-IFRS. You can refer to the MD&A for a complete definition and reconciliation of these measures to IFRS. In addition, this conference call might also contain forward-looking statements. These statements are based on the current expectations of management and information available as of today, and they involve numerous risks and uncertainties, known and unknown. The risks, uncertainties, and other factors that would influence actual results are described in the fiscal 2022 annual MD&A and in the annual information form. We have with us today our newly appointed President and Chief Executive Officer, Thomas Morin. and our Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Donald LeCavalier. Before I turn the call over to Thomas and Donald, I would like to invite our Executive Chair of the Board, Isabelle Marcoux, to say a few words about the executive changes announced earlier today.

Thank you, Yann, and good afternoon. I am pleased to join this call today to introduce you to Thomas Morin, our newly appointed President and CEO. When Thomas joined our organization four years ago, we had a significant challenge in front of us. After many small acquisitions and a major acquisition of Covarris, our packaging sector had reached a critical mass. Packaging needed an experienced leader to consolidate our platform, generate profitable growth, and develop a strong leadership team. While Thomas delivered on all fronts, in a complex and challenging environment, including the pandemic, As our focus turns to generating sustained organic growth, optimizing the return on our assets, leveraging our balance sheet, all the while pursuing our sustainability agenda, the Board has decided to appoint Tama to lead Transcontinental. We are confident that Tama has the experience and ability to deliver on these four priorities with a team that is second to none. We are confident that he can and will lead the organization through its next chapter for the benefit of all of its stakeholders. I know that Tamar will do so while upholding the values and culture that distinguish Transcontinental. You can read Tamar's resume in our press release issued earlier today, but let me make a few comments on the leader he is. Tamar favors dialogue, collegiality, and diversity. He believes in the power of team. He is both a strong operator and a people person. It's built strong relationships with our customers and leaders of our organization. Samad has led what I believe is the best R&D team in our industry. He's focused on ensuring that our investments will generate returns and our efforts are directed at what our customers need and want. We're already seeing the early results of our sustainable journey flexible with some innovative recyclable structures and exciting new products. Finally, Tamar is all about results. With five consecutive quarters of profit growth in this sector, the packaging sector, Tamar has delivered on that front. I also want to congratulate Danone Cavalier, who has been promoted to Executive Vice President and CFO. Over his 17 years with the company, Danone has become a trusted advisor for the leadership team, for me, and for the board. I know that we are in safe hands with Danone. As for myself, I was appointed by the board to the position of executive chair. As such, I will assume the responsibility for strategy and corporate development in our media sector. This will allow Thomas, Danal, and the team to focus on our four priorities. On behalf of the board of directors, I want to thank Peter Ruth for his contribution, first as a board member and then as president and CEO. He has helped our leaders grow and close important deals. I wish him the best for the future. In conclusion, we now have a leaner and more focused team, strongly determined to succeed. I look forward to working with the members of our board and with Thomas, Donald, and our team in creating value for all of our stakeholders. Thank you, and back to you, Yann.