Melanie Perkins
Melanie Perkins | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth year and age Perth, Western Australia, Australia |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, CEO |
| Known for | Co-founder and CEO of Canva; co-founder of Fusion Books |
Melanie Perkins (born 1987) is an Australian entrepreneur in the technology sector, serving as the co-founder and CEO of Canva, a digital platform for graphic design. Prior to this, she co-established Fusion Books, an online publisher specializing in yearbooks.
In 2023, Perkins was positioned 89th on Forbes' compilation of the "World's 100 most influential women" and ranked 92nd on the Fortune magazine's list of Most Powerful Women.
Early life
Born in 1987 in Perth, Western Australia, Perkins is the daughter of an Australian educator and a Malaysian engineer with Filipino and Sri Lankan heritage. She attended Sacred Heart College, Sorrento, a high school located in northern Perth. During her secondary education, she practiced figure skating and launched a small venture selling handcrafted scarves.
Following high school graduation, Perkins pursued studies at the University of Western Australia in communications, psychology, and commerce. While assisting graphic design students as a tutor, she recognized how complicated conventional design software was and envisioned simpler web-based alternatives. At age 19, she left university to co-found a startup alongside Cliff Obrecht.
Fusion Books
Perkins and Obrecht initiated Fusion Books in 2007, a platform allowing schools to produce yearbooks through an online drag-and-drop interface complemented by a collection of templates. The company grew within Australia before expanding its services to New Zealand and France.
Canva
In the early part of the 2010s, they proposed developing a more comprehensive design platform. During a meeting with investor Bill Tai in Perth and through an introduction by Lars Rasmussen—co-creator of Google Maps—they connected with Cameron Adams, a former Google designer. Adams joined Canva in 2012 as the third co-founder and chief product officer. The platform officially launched in 2013 and has experienced phases of profitability while continuing its growth trajectory.
Personal life
Perkins married Cliff Obrecht in January 2021 on Rottnest Island. Later that year, the couple committed to philanthropy by joining the Giving Pledge, pledging to donate at least half their wealth.
As reported in May 2025 by the Australian Financial Review, their combined net worth was estimated at AUD 14.14 billion. By August 2025, Forbes valued Perkins’ personal net worth at approximately $5.8 billion (USD).