Solace hires former Shopify exec Fitzpatrick to spearhead global marketing efforts

July 24, 2025

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Solace has tapped a former Shopify executive to lead its global marketing push as the company continues to expand its customer footprint. The Kanata-based software firm said this week it has hired Paul Fitzpatrick as its new chief marketing and business development officer. Solace CEO Denis King said the veteran executive will play a major role in generating new business opportunities for the company, which specializes in software that helps smooth the flow of wireless traffic between points such as mobile devices, data centres and AI agents. “Paul brings a wealth of experience and a proven track record of building strong brands and driving growth in the technology sector,” King said in a statement, adding Fitzpatrick’s “strategic vision and leadership will be instrumental as we continue to expand our global presence.” Fitzpatrick joins Solace from Shopify, where he spent nearly four years as the Ottawa-based e-commerce giant’s head of global partnerships and programs. But he’s no stranger to his new employer – before joining Shopify, Fitzpatrick had a four-year stint as Solace’s chief business development officer from 2017-21. Educated at Acadia, Queen’s and Western universities, Fitzpatrick has also held senior marketing and finance roles at other major tech firms, including IBM, Cognos and Halogen Software. He returns to a company that’s a global leader in its space. Hundreds of customers, including RBC Capital Markets, global brewing giant Heineken and European retail powerhouse Schwarz Group, use Solace’s products to ensure that transactions like online purchases and bank withdrawals happen as quickly and seamlessly as possible. Demand for the firm’s platform has soared as the rising number of wireless devices that communicate with each other and the growing use of AI have made it more important than ever for digital information to flow smoothly and quickly. “Enterprises worldwide are embracing AI into their everyday workflows and processes, and with that comes the critical need to move data in real-time,” Fitzpatrick said in a statement. “As a product-led company with a proven reputation in event-driven integration, Solace is uniquely positioned to help companies turn their AI ambitions into reality.” Now at 536 employees, Solace generates revenues of more than $100 million annually. In a 2023 interview, King told Techopia he believed the company would eventually hit $1 billion in annual sales as it evolves its platform to integrate more efficiently with inventory management systems and customer relationship and HR management software such as Salesforce and Workday.