Anutin meets Canva to boost Thailand’s creative economy

SYDNEY, Australia — 18 August 2026, Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul visited Canva’s headquarters, seeking greater cooperation with the global visual communication technology company to promote Thailand’s creative economy and bring Thai talent and cultural products to international markets.

At 13:45 local time, Anutin met Canva co-founder and COO Cliff Obrecht, Canva’s Southeast Asia CEO Willix Halim and Thailand-based regional executive Pakapol Tangtongchin to discuss ways to drive Thailand’s creative economy and connect Thai creators and businesses with global consumers.

Anutin said the creative economy is one of the key industries the government wants to develop, highlighting Thailand’s skilled talent, distinctive identity and rich cultural assets.

He said these strengths could be developed into high-value products, services and intellectual property for global markets. Global platforms such as Canva could help Thai design and culture reach users worldwide while turning creativity into tangible income.

The two sides discussed working with local creators and Thai SMEs by encouraging more Thai designs, cultural elements and creative works to be featured on Canva’s platform. This would allow users worldwide to access Thai content while enabling Thai creators to earn income from their work, bringing more revenue back to Thailand.

Canva aims to increase the number of Thai Canva Creators from around 190 to 1,000 by 2028.

Canva also highlighted its cooperation with Thai agencies, particularly the Department of Business Development (DBD) and the Digital Economy Promotion Agency (depa), to develop SMEs’ skills in design, digital technology and AI.

The company is also expanding cooperation with the Ministry of Education to help Thai youth gain access to tools and skills needed for the modern economy.

Anutin invited Canva to consider establishing a legal entity and expanding its business base in Thailand, as well as bringing more international talent to work alongside Thai professionals.

He said this would encourage knowledge transfer and strengthen Thailand’s technology and creative ecosystem.

The prime minister also encouraged Canva to work closely with the Board of Investment (BOI) on investment opportunities, skills development and Skill Bridge programmes to strengthen Thailand’s workforce and SMEs.

The BOI will continue working with Canva to turn cooperation on investment, talent development and the creative economy ecosystem into concrete projects in Thailand.