Substack Hires Former Google Exec as Its First Head of Partnerships in Canada
•February 5, 2026
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Companies Mentioned
Why It Matters
Local leadership accelerates Substack’s ability to capture revenue from a high‑growth market and deepens its creator ecosystem, strengthening its competitive position against other subscription platforms.
Key Takeaways
- •Substack appoints Mark Swierszcz as Canada partnerships head
- •Canada ranks as Substack’s third‑largest global market
- •Over 500,000 paid Canadian subscriptions on Substack
- •Expansion follows $100 million Series C funding
- •Future hires planned for Australia, Europe, and Japan
Pulse Analysis
Substack’s decision to place a dedicated partnership executive in Toronto underscores the platform’s strategic shift from a U.S.-centric model to a truly global subscription service. Canada’s robust digital media landscape, combined with a high concentration of independent journalists and thought leaders, has propelled the country to become Substack’s third‑largest market. By establishing a local presence, Substack can tailor its outreach to Canadian creators, negotiate region‑specific media deals, and tap into advertising ecosystems that differ from those in the United States and United Kingdom.
Mark Swierszcz brings a rare blend of advertising, creator strategy, and media operations experience from his tenure at Google Canada, YouTube, MTV and MuchMusic. His background in scaling creative effectiveness and fostering creator partnerships equips Substack to deepen relationships with both established publishers and emerging voices. As the platform seeks to increase its share of the growing newsletter economy—estimated to exceed $1 billion in annual revenue—Swierszcz’s expertise will be pivotal in converting organic growth into sustainable, monetized partnerships, while also navigating regulatory nuances unique to the Canadian market.
The hire is part of a broader expansion agenda fueled by Substack’s $100 million Series C financing, which aims to replicate the Canadian playbook in Australia, New Zealand, and key European and Asian hubs. This aggressive rollout positions Substack against rivals like Patreon, Ghost, and emerging newsletter tools that are courting creators with lower fees or richer analytics. By embedding local leadership, Substack can accelerate product localization, forge strategic media alliances, and ultimately capture a larger slice of the creator‑economy pie as independent publishing continues its upward trajectory.
Substack hires former Google exec as its first head of partnerships in Canada
Substack, the newsletter platform co-founded by University of Waterloo and Kik alumni, has added Mark Swierszcz as its first head of partnerships in Canada following “meaningful” organic growth in the country.
“Canada has emerged as one of Substack’s strongest markets outside the US and UK.”
Swierszcz, based in Toronto, joins Substack after six years as Google Canada’s creative effectiveness lead, where he helped “elevate the creative impact” of Canadian advertising across Google and YouTube, a Substack spokesperson told BetaKit on Thursday. Before that, Swierszcz led YouTube’s creator strategy in Canada and ran digital operations at MTV and MuchMusic.
In his new job, Swierszcz will lead Substack’s expansion and partner strategy across Canada. The Substack spokesperson said that Canada is the platform’s third-largest market globally, and the first of several to get local leadership this year. The company claims that there are more than half a million paid subscriptions to thousands of Canada-based publications on its platform.
“Canada has emerged as one of Substack’s strongest markets outside the US and UK, driven by organic growth from creators and audiences,” Substack head of international Farrah Storr said in a statement. “Hiring Mark Swierszcz … allows us to meet that demand locally as we invest more deeply in markets around the world.”
RELATED: Canadian co-founded Substack raises $100-million USD Series C to grow tools for independent creators
The San Francisco-based company was founded in 2017 by Canadian University of Waterloo alumni Chris Best and Jairaj Sethi, alongside New Zealand journalist Hamish McKenzie, who went to Western University. Best and Sethi were also senior leaders at Canadian messaging app Kik.
Substack allows creators to independently publish content and manage subscribers in exchange for 10 percent of subscription revenue plus transaction fees. It has become one of the most popular newsletter subscription services for journalists and independent creators worldwide, with reportedly more than 5 million paid subscribers as of March 2025. Canadian creators like Paul Wells, Jen Gerson, and Rachel Gilmore all publish content on the platform.
The Substack spokesperson said it has been focusing on global expansion following its $100-million USD ($137-million CAD) Series C funding round last year. After Canada, the platform is looking to add partnership leads in Australia and New Zealand, as well as across Europe, including in Germany, France, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, and the Nordic region.
Feature image courtesy Substack.
The post Substack hires former Google exec as its first head of partnerships in Canada first appeared on BetaKit.
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