Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited

For more than 130 years, Thales has evolved from a pioneering electrical company into a global technology leader that shapes the future of our societies. The company traces its origins to 1893 as Compagnie Française Thomson-Houston, born from a vision to harness emerging technologies for critical infrastructure. Over decades of transformation through innovation and strategic growth, Thales recognized that as the world became increasingly connected, the need for trusted, secure, and sustainable technology solutions would become paramount. This insight drove the company to expand its expertise from electrical systems into aerospace, defence, space, and cybersecurity. Today, Thales stands at the forefront of "deep tech" innovation, investing over €4 billion annually in Research & Development to address humanity's greatest challenges: sovereignty, security, sustainability, and inclusion. With more than 83,000 experts across 68 countries and €20.6 billion in sales, the company has become indispensable to governments and enterprises worldwide. From protecting critical infrastructure and securing digital identities to advancing quantum computing and artificial intelligence, Thales continues its founding mission: building a future we can all trust through technological excellence.

At Centene, we believe healthcare is best delivered locally. For 40 years, our nationwide team has worked to increase access to affordable, quality-focused healthcare for those who need it most. As a Fortune 500 company serving more than 1 in 15 individuals across the nation, we take a uniquely local approach with locally branded plans and teams embedded in the communities we serve. Our collaborative culture empowers employees to take charge of their own career journeys while working together to transform the health of our communities. We operate with flexibility and trust, offering remote, hybrid, and field work schedules so our people can do their best work in the way that works best for them. The One CenTeam values of Accountability, Courage, Curiosity, Trust, and Service guide how we work together and serve our 28 million members every day.

Ciena is the global leader in high-speed connectivity, building the world's most adaptive networks to support exponential growth in bandwidth demand - empowering customers, partners, and communities to thrive in the AI era. Their mission is grounded in solving a critical challenge: as cloud, AI, and digital transformation accelerate, networks must evolve faster than ever before. Ciena delivers the networking systems, interconnects, automation software, and services that revolutionize data transmission and network management, ensuring their clients can meet today's business needs while preparing for what's next. What sets Ciena apart is their philosophy of bringing humanity to innovation. They don't just build advanced networks - they cultivate deep, collaborative relationships with customers, blurring the line between vendor and trusted partner. With a people-first culture that's as defining as their technical expertise, Ciena has pioneered industry-firsts from coherent optics to cloud-native automation platforms. Their approach combines relentless innovation with a commitment to sustainability and social impact, recognizing that the networks they power ultimately serve the people who use them. From subsea cables to AI-ready infrastructure, Ciena's technology enables organizations to transform their operations and prepare for the future of connectivity.

M&T Bank Corporation has been making a difference in people's lives since 1856, operating as a community-focused banking franchise with over $211 billion in assets and 950+ branches across the eastern United States. With more than 17,000 employees, M&T delivers the personalized service of a community bank backed by the resources of a large financial institution. The bank has demonstrated exceptional stability, maintaining profitability for 170 consecutive quarters—more than 42 straight years—and consistently ranking among the top 10 SBA lenders nationally. In 2024 alone, M&T Bank contributed over $67.4 million to support 4,006 non-profit organizations, while employees dedicated 245,895 volunteer hours to their communities. More than half of M&T's employees own company stock, reflecting their deep personal investment in the bank's mission. Guided by core values of integrity, curiosity, candor, ownership, and collaboration, M&T has earned recognition as a top 5% bank by Greenwich Awards for its commitment to customer experience and community impact.

TBC Corporation is one of North America's largest marketers of automotive replacement tires, generating $5 billion in annual revenue with 3,500+ employees across the United States and Mexico. For nearly 70 years, TBC has been an industry leader in the mobility services sector, operating through wholesale distribution, retail, and franchise channels. The company serves wholesale customers throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, Latin America, the Middle East, and Europe through its TBC Brands, National Tire Wholesale (NTW), TBC International, and TBC de Mexico divisions. TBC operates nearly 470 franchised tire and automotive service centers under the Big O Tires brand, providing comprehensive car care services to individual consumers and fleet customers. Founded in 1956 as Cordovan Associates in Dayton, Ohio, TBC has evolved into a privately held joint venture equally owned by Sumitomo Corporation of Americas and Michelin. The company markets 20 proprietary tire brands specializing in passenger, commercial, farm, and specialty tires, maintaining distribution across more than 92 metropolitan areas.

Valsoft Corporation acquires and develops vertical market software companies through a buy-and-hold strategy that prioritizes long-term growth over short-term profits. Established in Montreal in 2015, Valsoft has assembled a global portfolio of more than 130 vertical market software businesses operating across 20+ industries worldwide. Unlike traditional private equity firms, Valsoft does not flip companies - it provides a permanent home for software businesses, offering stability, autonomy, and the resources needed to scale confidently without short-term pressure. The company's decentralized model allows each business to maintain its entrepreneurial spirit while benefiting from shared expertise, technology, and best practices across the portfolio. Valsoft invests in building Artificial Intelligence applications and platforms internally to serve as a shared technological foundation, enabling companies to integrate proven AI capabilities into their products and operations. This approach, combined with patient capital and operational support through its operating groups, has positioned Valsoft as a leader in the vertical market software space, recognized multiple times by Deloitte's Technology Fast 50 program and Canada's Top Growing Companies.