Scott Stewart

Scott is a co-founder of Bluwatr Partners, a growth platform firm focused on creating the next generation of Architecture & Engineering organizations. With a degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Waterloo, Scott was inspired by the prolific architect, systems theorist and futurist, Buckminster Fuller, who believed that a major future challenge would be the movement of goods and people, making transportation the issue of the 21st century. This drew Scott’s interest to the far-reaching considerations of transportation, establishing the direction of his career.

Scott is the Chairman of the Bluwatr Board,  guiding many of the firm’s Technology-driven investment and strategic initiatives. Prior to founding Bluwatr, he was the CEO and member of the Board of Directors of IBI Group (now Arcadis), Scott Stewart was responsible for providing executive leadership to the company with a particular focus on strategy and operational management and execution.

When Scott took over as CEO in 2013, the firm was in financial difficulty, having acquired several underperforming firms in a tumultuous market. There was a huge amount of work to do, organizationally and operationally, but most especially engaging with all stakeholders, including banks, shareholders, and staff. With the help of the team, the focus was on paying down debt, getting the company back into good standing with the banks, and establishing operational order with a  fulsome corporate structure. In 2015, IBI Group was named International Turnaround of the Year by the Turnaround Management Association. Having weathered the storm, Scott knew the firm’s traditional fee-for-service business model needed to evolve in a rapidly changing marketplace. In May 2018, Scott announced a new strategic direction for the firm, focused on infusing technology throughout all of its core services.

With a rich background in technology innovations, Scott’s underpinning passion is to “set something up that has a life that carries on.” What was and still is so compelling is that “you’re allowed this freedom within business norms to do what you feel will be of value to the firm and society. A freedom that was given to me and others in the early years of the firm that I would like to carry forward.”

Scott has been part of a number of organizations and is currently on the Board of the Transportation Association of Canada (TAC), and past Chair of the Technology Council of TAC