Melanie Perkins is the co-founder and CEO of Canva, a widely-used graphic design platform. Under her leadership, Canva has grown to over 130 million monthly users and has become a major player in the design software industry, with a valuation of $40 billion in September 2021.
Who is the CEO of Canva?
As an Australian technology entrepreneur, Melanie Perkins co-founded Canva in 2013 with Cliff Obrecht and Cameron Adams in Sydney, Australia.
Prior to Canva, she co-founded Fusion Books, a platform for designing school yearbooks, which became the largest yearbook company in Australia. Despite facing skepticism from investors due to Canva's location, Perkins and her team successfully launched the graphic design platform, which now boasts 130 million monthly users.
As CEO, Perkins has led Canva to significant growth, with a focus on continuous innovation and leveraging AI to simplify the design process. She owns an estimated 18% stake in Canva and has pledged to transfer more than 80% of her stake to the Canva Foundation for charitable causes.
Under her leadership, Canva has introduced innovative products like Magic Studio and the Canva Visual Worksuite, reflecting her vision to empower individuals and businesses to create compelling visual content easily and efficiently.
Work History
- CEO & Co-founder at Canva: May 2012 - Present
- Founder and Director at Fusion Books: January 2007 - Present
- Multimedia Centre Technical Assistant and Tutor at The University of Western Australia: February 2006 - October 2007
- Public Relations Internship at Weber Shandwick: June 2007 - July 2007
Education History
Before embarking on her entrepreneurial journey, Melanie Perkins pursued her education at the University of Western Australia. She completed a double degree in Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in communications, psychology, marketing, and management.
In addition to her undergraduate studies, Perkins also participated in the Innovation Excellence Program, which focused on commercializing innovation. This educational background laid the foundation for her future success in the technology and design industries.
When did Melanie Perkins join Canva?
Co-founding Canva in 2012, Melanie Perkins has been the CEO since the company's inception. As a result, she has been with Canva for nearly a decade, leading the company to become a major player in the design software industry and empowering millions of users worldwide with its innovative tools and features.