OTTAWA, April 02, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Calian Group Ltd. (TSX:CGY) today announced that Kevin Ford, Chief Executive Officer suffered a cardiovascular event over the Easter weekend. His prognosis is good and he is expected to fully recover with a tentative return to work date in the next 4 to 6 weeks.

“Over the years, Kevin has put in place a solid management team who has been operating under a clear strategic plan. We will continue on with our work as planned in Kevin’s absence,” stated Ken Loeb, Chairman of the Board. “The board and I would also like to convey our best wishes and offer our full support during Kevin’s recovery,” continued Loeb.

“The company is built on a strong backbone of highly qualified individuals and I have all the confidence in my management team’s ability to carry on while I’m away,” stated Kevin Ford. “I look forward to being able to touch base with my team as I recover.”

During Kevin’s absence, the board initiated its emergency succession plan and established a CEO Operating Committee made up of Jerry Johnston who will be focused on the BTS Division, Pat Thera who will continue his focus on the SED Division and Jacqueline Gauthier, CFO. The roles and responsibilities of the Company’s remaining Executive Leadership Team will be unchanged during this period.

The board has also established a board sub-committee to facilitate the CEO Operating Committee’s reporting to the board on a more frequent basis. The Board sub-committee is made up of the Chairman, Ken Loeb and Ray Basler, the company’s former CEO.

About Calian

Calian employs over 2,900 people with offices and projects that span Canada, U.S. and international markets. The company's capabilities are diverse with services delivered through two divisions. Calian's Systems Engineering Division (SED) located in Saskatoon plans, designs and implements complex communication systems for many of the world's space agencies and leading satellite manufacturers and operators. SED also provides contract manufacturing services for both private sector and military customers in North America. The Business and Technology Services (BTS) Division is headquartered in Ottawa and includes the provision of business and technology services to industry, public and government in the health, training, engineering and IT services domains.

For investor information, please visit our website at www.calian.com, or contact us at ir@calian.com.