Australian tech entrepreneur Melanie Perkins, the co-founder and CEO of Canva, has a Sri Lankan family heritage through her father’s side, despite not being a Sri Lankan citizen.

Born in Perth, Western Australia, Perkins launched her entrepreneurial journey at just 19 after leaving university and co-founding Fusion Books with Cliff Obrecht, laying the foundation for Canva.

In 2013, Perkins, Obrecht, and Cameron Adams founded Canva with a vision to make graphic design simple and accessible for everyone.

Today, Canva is one of the world’s leading online design platforms, allowing millions of users to create social media posts, presentations, videos, logos, and other digital content with ease.

The company was valued at US$42 billion during a private share sale in August 2025, while Forbes estimates Melanie Perkins’ personal net worth at around US$7.6 billion.

Perkins and Cliff Obrecht have also pledged to donate more than 80% of their Canva shares to the Canva Foundation, making her journey a remarkable story of innovation, success, and global philanthropy.

The publication rights to this article are owned by the AusLanka TV Media Network.