Brendan Humphreys is leaving Canva after 12 years as CTO. The company is not filling the CTO role. Instead, his number two, Simon Newton, becomes head of technology.
Humphreys joined in 2014 when Canva had 12 employees. He built the technology organisation that now supports $3 billion in ARR, 230 million monthly active users, and 24 million paying subscribers. That includes 95% of the Fortune 500.
The timing is notable. Canva is pushing hard on AI integration (50% of engineers using AI tools daily) and moving towards an IPO. Losing a CTO at this stage usually signals either succession planning or strategic restructuring.
Newton previously worked at Google and Uber. He has been leading Canva's platform organisation. The shift from CTO to head of technology suggests a change in how the role operates, possibly less C-suite influence or a broader distribution of technology leadership.
For sales professionals, this matters because Canva's enterprise motion is working. They have penetrated 95% of the Fortune 500. That level of enterprise adoption does not happen without strong product execution and technology infrastructure. The question is whether this leadership change affects their ability to maintain that momentum.
The company now employs approximately 5,000 people globally and operates from its Sydney headquarters. Humphreys will stay on as an adviser after wrapping up in June. He announced he is taking "a real break" after 28 years in the industry.
Canva communicated the change internally on Friday. The company confirmed Newton's appointment but provided no details on how technology leadership responsibilities will be distributed without a CTO.
Worth noting: Canva has not disclosed recent funding rounds, but historically raised over $600 million, including a $200 million round in 2021 at a $40 billion valuation. The IPO timeline remains unspecified.