Calian Group CEO Kevin Ford said Wednesday that the Ottawa firm’s fourth-quarter results mark “a significant turning point for the company,” as he prepares to retire at the end of December.
Calian reported results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year ended Sept. 30, 2025, on Wednesday.
For the quarter, revenues were up 12 per cent, from $181 million to $203 million, driven by both organic growth and acquisitions.
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“This return to organic growth after several challenging quarters is a testament to the resilience and adaptability of our team,” said Ford in a news release.
Adjusted EBITDA was $24 million, an increase of two per cent, with a margin of 11.9 per cent. The company’s defence solutions showed 15 per cent growth, although Q4 revenue growth was dampened by the IT and cyber-solutions (ITCS) segment.
Net profit stood at $20.6 million, or $1.80 per diluted share, from a loss of $0.6 million, or $0.05 per diluted share last year.
The full year saw four per cent revenue growth to $774 million and an adjusted EBITDA margin of 10.1 per cent, despite a 15 per cent decline in adjusted EBITDA to $78 million that the company attributed to the ITCS segment’s performance.
“In Q4, we took decisive actions to restore the performance of ITCS, and we expect to see meaningful benefits from these initiatives in fiscal year 2026,” Ford said in the release.
“Looking ahead, with a robust $1.4 billion backlog, a strong acquisition pipeline, a solid balance sheet, and clear tailwinds in our defence markets, we are well positioned for a strong fiscal year 2026,” he added.
Highlights of the quarter included new contract signings of $122 million, bringing fiscal-year signings to more than $1.1 billion. Calian also launched Calian Ventures to support the growth of Canadian defence SMEs and partners, completed the acquisition of Canadian-based InField Scientific after quarter-end, and was awarded a contract by a leading global space technology company, also after quarter-end.
“We continued to expand in our mission-critical markets, delivered solid profitability, and generated $17 million in operating free cash flow,” said Patrick Houston, Calian’s CFO, in the release. “Our backlog of $1.4 billion provides a strong base to continue our growth trajectory, and our renewed credit facility gives us the capacity to continue investing for growth.”
Houston will be assuming the CEO role in 2026.
