Digital Strategist  ·  Agency Founder  ·  Ontario, Canada

Paul A. Zwarts

Master of many disciplines. Builder of systems that scale.

I'm a generalist by nature and a strategist by trade. With 25+ years in digital technology, I've led teams of hundreds, managed budgets in the millions, and shipped systems across three continents — not because I chose a narrow specialty, but because I didn't. My greatest asset has always been the ability to connect dots across industries, ask the questions others miss, and drive collective success from brief to delivery.

25+Years in Digital Tech
3Continents Worked
$1B+Platform Throughput
200+Websites (Emirates)

About

Paul Zwarts

I was born near Montreal and moved to Toronto when I was eight. I never finished school — instead I dove into the workforce, and each job became a literal step up the staircase of opportunity. Manufacturing, aerospace, financial technology, enterprise content management, travel e-commerce, digital agency production at scale. The breadth was never a liability. It became my edge.

For much of my career I was made to feel inadequate for not having a traditional specialty. I've since come to see it differently: if Anders Ericsson's theory on mastery through 10,000 hours holds true, I am a master of many disciplines rather than none. A specialist optimizes within a lane. A generalist sees the whole road — and often spots the problem behind the problem before anyone else does.

My most formative chapter was at Flip Media in Dubai — the largest digital agency in the Middle East before its acquisition by Publicis — where I managed a USD $6M portfolio and built Emirates Airline's multilingual publishing operation across 200+ websites in 12 languages for 40 markets. After returning to Canada, I co-founded Incentriq Canada, a travel technology platform that now transacts ~$1B/year in Canadian leisure travel for clients including CAA and Scotia Rewards.

Today I run a boutique agency focused on agentic software delivery: AI-driven systems that execute complex, multi-step workflows with the quality controls and strategic architecture that real business operations require. I take on a small number of clients at a time and stay deeply involved throughout.

"If my team and I can't hear your brief and then ask you several questions you hadn't thought of yourself, we aren't doing our job."
— Paul Zwarts, on the brief

What I Do

Strategy

Digital Strategy & Architecture

Before solving a problem, you have to make sure you've identified the right problem. I help you clarify what to build, why, and in what sequence — asking the questions your brief didn't answer yet. Roadmaps, product architecture, stakeholder alignment, and VC-ready thinking drawn from 25+ years across industries.

Build

Agentic Software & Automation

Full-stack delivery with AI-driven execution pipelines. I build systems where software agents handle complex, multi-step workflows — content operations, data pipelines, intake processing, reporting — with precision and auditability. The generalist advantage: I see the whole system, not just the component I'm building.

Operations

Delivery & Project Oversight

Running a project is a craft. Sprint management, QA, vendor coordination, and delivery reporting — built on protocols developed managing $6M+ agency portfolios and $3.5M product P&Ls. Structured enough to scale, direct enough to ship.

Education

Speaking Arrangements: Soil Food Web, Regenerative, Permaculture, Syntropic

I offer talks, workshops, and live demonstrations for teams, communities, schools, and events. Sessions can include practical Soil Food Web microscopy demonstrations and applied discussion on regenerative, permaculture, and syntropic solutions across farm, garden, landscape, and community contexts.

Format options include keynote speaking, small-group training, advisory sessions, and on-site field walkthroughs.

Book a Speaking Session →

Selected Experience

2007 – 2011  ·  Dubai, UAE
Technical Director
Flip Media FZ-LLC (acquired by Publicis)

Largest digital agency in the Middle East. Managed a USD $6M yearly portfolio reporting directly to CEO. Led 12 account managers, 64 developers, and 35 designers. Directed the Emirates Airline account — 200+ websites in 12 languages for 40 markets. Personally delivered The Dubai Mall and Palm Island digital launches for Emaar and Nakheel.

2014 – 2016  ·  Toronto, Canada
Co-founder & Technology Strategist
Incentriq Canada Limited

Co-founded and led a travel e-commerce platform for the Canadian loyalty/travel market. Built and managed a CAD $3.5M P&L with a team of 30 developers in an Agile environment. The resulting platform now transacts ~$1B/year for clients including CAA South Central Ontario and Scotia Rewards.

2013 – 2014  ·  Calgary, Canada
Digital Strategy Contractor
WestJet Vacations

Authored a 5-year digital content strategy with personalized data-capture tied to marketing communications. Contributed to a 0.5% increase in daily conversion. Managed third-party technology partners and led SEO, partner portal, and mobile accessibility initiatives.

2002 – 2007  ·  Amsterdam & Dubai
Web Marketing Manager / Technical Sales
SDL Tridion / NTS Group

8 years building expertise in multilingual enterprise content management. Architected corporate sites, extranets, and intranets in 4 languages. Secured and maintained contracts with Emirates, Emaar, and Mashreq Bank worth USD $1.5M in licensing and $2M in professional services over 5 years.

2012 – Present  ·  Toronto, Canada
Consultant & Agency Principal
1923303 Ontario Inc.

Independent consulting for startups, VCs, and investors in digital technology. Transformation strategy, technical direction, and portfolio management. Current focus: agentic AI systems — building autonomous software pipelines that execute complex business workflows at scale.

Start a Project

Tell me what you're working on. I'll read it carefully, ask the questions your brief didn't answer, and follow up to schedule a conversation.