When Will Paskar graduated from the University of Waterloo with a degree in mechanical engineering, he knew he wanted to do more than design technology. He wanted to shape how it was used to create value.
At the time, the economy was uncertain, and like many new graduates, Paskar was thinking carefully about his next step. After five years of highly technical training, he realized he wanted to develop a different set of skills, ones that would allow him to communicate ideas, influence decisions, and connect technology with real business outcomes.
That search led him to the Master of Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology (MBET) program at the Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business.
“I came across an MBET ad in the newspaper,” Paskar recalls. “Since I was already at Waterloo, it felt like a natural fit. I knew I wanted to work on personal skills (selling ideas, working on the business side of technology) not just designing things.”
Today, Paskar is Senior Manager, Enterprise Systems Engineering at Metrolinx, where he influences technology strategy and solution architecture for major capital transit initiatives that impact public transportation across Ontario. These initiatives support multi-billion-dollar transit programs across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.
His career path from engineering graduate to technology and business leader reflects exactly the kind of transformation the MBET program was designed to support.
Will Paskar, MBET '10
Learning to lead beyond technology
When Paskar entered MBET in the fall of 2009, he didn’t arrive with a fully developed startup idea. Instead, he came looking for inspiration and a new way of thinking about technology.
What he found was an environment that challenged him to look beyond the technology itself.
“One of the most important lessons I learned was to not get swept up in the excitement of a technology,” he says. “You have to ask early questions about feasibility and marketability. Who is the user? Who are the stakeholders? That’s what ultimately shapes the value.”
That mindset has stayed with him throughout his career, particularly as he moved from technical engineering roles into business-focused technology leadership positions.
After MBET, Paskar worked in manufacturing engineering before transitioning into technology roles at Canadian Tire, where he spent more than a decade leading technology implementations and transformation initiatives. Over time, his work shifted from managing technical projects to owning capabilities and working closely with business stakeholders to redesign processes using technology.
“It’s not just about digitizing something,” he explains. “It’s about redesigning processes to create new value.”
-Will Paskar, MBET '10, Enterprise Technology Strategy Leader
The power of cross-disciplinary collaboration
For Paskar, one of the most impactful aspects of MBET was the people.
After years of working exclusively with engineers, the program introduced him to students from diverse professional backgrounds with different skillsets, perspectives, and ways of thinking.
“MBET was the first time in five years that I wasn’t working on projects with only engineers,” he says. “Learning to leverage other people’s strengths and letting them shine where they can help the team was a big shift.”
That experience also helped him overcome a challenge common to many technical professionals: translating ideas in a way that others can understand and support.
“As an engineer, it can be frustrating to feel like you have the solution but not be able to express it or sell it,” Paskar says. “One of my motivations for MBET was learning how to package ideas and communicate them effectively.”
Lessons that last
Among the many professors who influenced his thinking, one concept continues to guide Paskar’s leadership approach today: “hold strong ideas weakly.”
The principle, introduced in class discussions during the program, encourages leaders to bring forward bold ideas while remaining open to new information and alternative viewpoints.
“Be opinionated. Wake up with a mission,” Paskar says. “But don’t be so stubborn that you dismiss new ideas. Be willing to change course when better information comes along.”
It’s a philosophy that has helped him navigate rapidly evolving technology landscapes, and one he now applies in his current role overseeing enterprise systems and large-scale transformation initiatives.
A career built on innovation
Since graduating from MBET, Paskar’s career has steadily evolved toward leadership roles that bridge technology and business strategy. The program, he says, played a key role in enabling that transition. Over time, his work expanded beyond delivering technology projects to shaping digital capabilities and technology strategy in close partnership with senior business leaders.
“MBET gave me credibility to move from a purely technical role into a business role,” he explains. “It helped position me as someone who could lead both technology and business conversations.”
That combination of skills is increasingly valuable as organizations adopt emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence.
MBET gave me credibility to move from a purely technical role into a business role.
It helped position me as someone who could lead both technology and business conversations.
According to Paskar, the next wave of transformation will come not from simply digitizing existing processes, but from fundamentally rethinking how they work.
“Don’t just take a paper form and turn it into an online form,” he says. “Ask whether that form should exist at all. Can you use information you already have? Can the experience be more seamless?”
Why MBET matters
For prospective students considering MBET today, Paskar believes the program remains uniquely positioned for people who want more than a traditional business degree.
“It’s not just about the education or course content,” he says. “It’s about learning how to think differently and meeting interesting people who challenge your perspective.”
If he were joining the program today, he says he would likely pursue the AI and Digital Transformation specialization, an area he believes will define the next generation of innovation.
“AI is creating opportunities for business transformation that haven’t even been discovered yet,” he says. “For someone with the right mindset, there’s enormous potential to find new value.”
Advice for future MBET students
Reflecting on his journey, Paskar’s advice for current and future students returns to the same philosophy that shaped his own approach.
“Be proud of who you are and what you know,” he says. “But don’t lock yourself into that identity. Be willing to grow and change to meet the next challenge.”
For Paskar, MBET didn’t just help launch a career, it helped shape a way of thinking about technology, leadership, and innovation.
It also had another lasting impact.
“I met my wife in MBET,” he says with a smile. “We even have MBET kids now.”
In many ways, that sense of community and shared ambition reflects the spirit of the program itself: bringing together people who want to build, innovate, and shape what comes next.
Will Paskar and Krystina Roman at MBET convocation.