Canva Hires Former Coles Data Chief as Enterprise Push Accelerates

Canva just made a hire that says a lot more than a simple job announcement. The Australian design platform has brought in Andy Ford, the former head of data intelligence at Coles 360, as its new head of marketing data.

Ford had only joined marketing analytics firm Analytic Partners in February as an associate vice president. Three months later, he walked out for what sources described as a "global opportunity." That opportunity turned out to be Canva.

When a company with Canva's momentum pulls someone from a role they just started, you pay attention.

Canva Is Building Something Bigger Than a Design Tool

The Ford hire did not happen in isolation. Two weeks before it was announced, Canva launched Canva AI 2.0, a major platform upgrade that co-founder and CEO Melanie Perkins described as "a true creative partner" for in-house marketing teams. The new version added tools for scheduling, web research, brand intelligence, and deep connections to workplace software like Slack, Gmail, HubSpot, and Zoom.

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In early April, Canva also acquired two companies in one move: Simtheory, which builds AI collaboration tools, and Ortto, a marketing automation and customer data platform. Together, those deals extend Canva beyond creating designs into running and measuring campaigns. It is the biggest single expansion in the company's 12-year history.

The Ford hire is the third piece of that puzzle. A head of marketing data role sits at the intersection of creative output and business results. It is the kind of position you create when you want to prove to enterprise buyers that your platform can do more than produce nice-looking assets.

The Numbers Behind the Push

Enterprise revenue hit US$500 million in 2026, growing at 100% year-over-year. That is 14% of Canva's total revenue of US$3.5 billion. The platform now counts 95% of Fortune 500 companies among its users.

The company was valued at US$42 billion in an employee stock sale last August. Analysts have suggested that a public market listing could value it even higher, potentially reaching US$150 billion, depending on how investors compare it to competitors like Figma. COO Cliff Obrecht confirmed in April that the company is now targeting a 2027 listing.

Hiring its first-ever B2B marketing leader in January 2026, and now a dedicated head of marketing data four months later, is exactly how a company prepares to impress institutional investors.

Why Asian Marketing Leaders Should Be Watching

Canva already has deep roots across the Asia Pacific region. India drives nearly 7% of all Canva traffic globally. The Philippines accounts for almost 5%. Mobile-first design use in Southeast Asia grew 38% in 2026 alone.

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But the enterprise push changes the nature of the product. Canva is moving toward a model where you do not just use it to make a social post. You use it to plan, produce, and measure a campaign, all within a single platform. That means higher pricing, more complex governance, and a different set of decisions for marketing teams in the region.

Forrester Research has already reframed how it covers Canva, treating it as an enterprise software company rather than a design tool. When analysts that companies use to justify technology spending start writing about you differently, procurement conversations change.

There is a real tension here, too. As Canva moves upmarket, it risks pricing out the small businesses and freelancers who made it popular in the first place. For larger Asian enterprises already using Canva for brand management and content production, that tension may work in their favor, because it means the platform is being built for them.

The Andy Ford hire is a small data point. But it is pointing in a clear direction. Canva is not building a better design tool. It is building marketing infrastructure, and it has chosen someone with serious data credentials to lead that charge.