Melanie Perkins
Australian technology entrepreneur (born 1987)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Melanie Perkins (born 1987) is an Australian technology entrepreneur. She is best known as for co-founding Canva, an online graphic design platform, with Cliff Obrecht and Cameron Adams. She serves as the company's chief executive officer. Perkins previously co-founded Fusion Books, a web-based yearbook publisher.
Melanie Perkins | |
|---|---|
Perkins in 2019 | |
| Born | 1987 (age 38–39)[1] |
| Education | University of Western Australia |
| Occupation | Technology entrepreneur |
| Years active | 2007–present |
| Known for | Co-founder and CEO of Canva |
| Spouse | |
In 2023, she was listed on the Forbes list of the World's 100 Most Powerful Women[3] and 92nd in Fortune's list of Most Powerful Women.[4]
Early life
Perkins was born in 1987 in Perth, Western Australia, to an Australian-born mother who worked as a teacher and a Malaysian engineer of Filipino and Sri Lankan heritage.[5][6] She attended Sacred Heart College,[7] a secondary school located in the northern Perth suburb of Sorrento. While at high school, Perkins trained seriously in figure skating and started a small business selling handmade scarves.[8][9]
After high school, Perkins enrolled at the University of Western Australia, majoring in communications, psychology and commerce.[10] At this time, Perkins was also a private tutor for students learning graphic design. Perkins has said the slow learning curve of traditional design tools prompted her to explore simpler, web-based alternatives. She left university at age 19 to pursue a startup with Cliff Obrecht.[5]
Career
Fusion Books
In 2007, Perkins and Obrecht founded Fusion Books, which let schools create yearbooks using an online drag-and-drop editor and template library. The business grew in Australia and later operated in New Zealand and France.[11]
Canva
Perkins and Obrecht began pitching a broader design platform in the early 2010s and met investor Bill Tai during a visit to Perth. Through Google Maps co-creator Lars Rasmussen, who advised the project, they were introduced to former Google designer Cameron Adams, who joined in 2012 and became Canva’s third co-founder and chief product officer. Canva launched publicly in 2013 and has reported periods of profitability as it scaled.[12]
Personal life
Perkins and Obrecht married in January 2021 on Rottnest Island.[13] Later that year, they joined the Giving Pledge, committing at least half of their fortune to philanthropic purposes.[14]
As of May 2025[update], the Australian Financial Review assessed Perkins' and Obrecht's joint net worth as A$14.14 billion.[15] As of February 2026, Forbes estimated Perkins' net worth at US$7.6 billion.[16]
