Bartłomiej Swojak (besek)

As the Chief Technology Officer and Web Product Manager at Tygodnik Powszechny, Bartłomiej Swojak stands at the intersection of journalism and technology, reshaping how one of Poland’s most respected weekly magazines operates in the digital age.

With a career rooted in open-source innovation, Swojak has led Tygodnik Powszechny through a sweeping modernization of its web infrastructure. He architected and launched the magazine’s custom Drupal-based content management system, rE-medium, a platform specifically built for the needs of small and mid-sized publishers. Under his guidance, the organization transitioned from its legacy print-first workflows to a fully integrated, centralized newsroom powered by Drupal—an evolution that radically improved editorial collaboration and publishing speed.

Swojak’s technical leadership became particularly vital during the platform migration from Drupal 7 to a modern Dev/Test/Live environment hosted on Pantheon. The switch unlocked agile deployment workflows, enhanced scalability, and fortified the system’s resilience. At a time when cybersecurity concerns loomed large due to geopolitical unrest, Swojak’s implementation of enterprise-grade defenses—including CDN and WAF layers—ensured the magazine’s digital presence remained uninterrupted and secure.

But his work hasn’t only been about infrastructure—it’s about impact. The changes he introduced enabled a substantial increase in publishing frequency and editorial output. Site traffic surged by more than 50%, and the number of registered users climbed past 70,000. These are not just metrics—they’re proof of a digital product strategy that aligns with Tygodnik Powszechny’s mission: to deliver high-quality, independent journalism to an ever-expanding audience.

At the heart of Swojak’s approach is a belief that editorial freedom and technical excellence go hand in hand. By integrating print and digital content creation into a single workflow and removing bottlenecks through real-time collaborative editing, he’s helped bring the magazine’s values into the 21st century—without sacrificing its voice or vision.

Bartłomiej Swojak’s work is a case study in how thoughtful, open-source-led development can empower independent media. His technical foresight and strategic execution continue to shape the digital future of one of Poland’s most storied publications.

I am an experienced project manager focused mainly on web projects. I like to create and follow the processes, as long as they help achieve project goals instead of causing unnecessary overheads.

I always have a people-first approach, as I firmly believe that great results can be achieved only in a friendly and open environment. Transparent communication with the development team and all other stakeholders can lead to genuine agile cooperation and delivery of the best final results of the project.

Interested in topics of information security and OSINT.