Cat van der Werff

Cat van der Werff is the Executive Creative Director at Canva, where she leads a global in-house creative agency of more than 120 creatives across brand, campaigns, performance, and
production, all in service of Canva’s mission to empower the world to design.

A decade ago, Canva set out to reimagine the future of design by making the leap from complex desktop software to something simpler, more collaborative, and accessible to everyone. Today, it is the world’s leading visual communication platform, empowering more than 230 million people, including 95% of the Fortune 500, to design everything from presentations and documents to videos, websites, and print.

Cat joined Canva in 2018 as the company’s first brand designer, bringing more than 15 years of global brand-building experience. Since then, she’s helped shape the creative direction for some of Canva’s most iconic campaigns, including What Will You Design Today?, Love Your Work, as well as annual Canva Create events. With a focus on designing for scale, building high-trust creative teams, and crafting a brand the world genuinely loves, Cat believes in design as a force for good.

Under her leadership, Canva’s in-house team has earned industry-wide recognition including three Gold Transform Awards, In-House Agency of the Year (IHAC), an ANA In-House ExcellenceAward, and a spot on the ADWEEK Creative 100.

Follow Cat on LinkedIn for creative insights and behind-the-scenes glimpses into one of the world’s fastest-growing brands.