August 18, 2026, at 13:45 hours local Australian time – Mr. Julapun Amornvivat, Minister of Labour, accompanied the delegation of Mr. Anutin Charnvirakul, Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, on a visit to the headquarters of Canva, a global visual communications technology company. The delegation was received by senior Canva executives, including Mr Cliff Obrecht, Co-Founder and COO, Mr Willix Halim, CEO of Canva for Southeast Asia, and Mr. Pakapol Thangtongchin, Regional Director (Thailand), to discuss approaches to collaboration in driving Thailand’s Creative Economy and bringing Thai creative works and cultural identity to the global market, in Sydney, Commonwealth of Australia.
The discussions focused on elevating the Creative Economy, which is one of the government’s key target industries. Thailand possesses talented individuals, a wealth of cultural capital, and a strong national identity, all of which have high potential to be developed into internationally valued goods, services, and intellectual property. A global platform such as Canva will help open a concrete avenue for Thai design and culture to reach users worldwide.
On cooperation to generate income for Thai people, both sides discussed working with local creators and Thai SMEs. Canva has set an important target to increase the number of Thai Canva Creators from approximately 190 to 1,000 by 2028, to encourage the upload of Thai design work and cultural elements to the platform, opening opportunities for Thai creators to earn remuneration from their work and bringing income from the global market back to Thailand.
Meanwhile, Canva has been collaborating closely with Thai government agencies, such as the Department of Business Development (DBD) and the Digital Economy Promotion Agency (depa), in developing design, digital, and AI skills for SME entrepreneurs to upgrade their products, packaging, and marketing, as well as cooperating with the Ministry of Education in developing digital skills for Thai youth.
On this occasion, the Prime Minister invited Canva to consider registering as a legal entity and expanding its business base in Thailand, and to bring in specialist personnel from overseas to work alongside Thai personnel, to facilitate knowledge transfer and elevate the country’s technology ecosystem. He recommended close cooperation with the Board of Investment (BOI), both in the investment dimension and through the Skill Bridge workforce development programme, with the BOI standing ready to advance this collaboration to achieve concrete results.
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Division of Public Relations
Mr. Priyaron Phromsakhana Na Sakon Nakhon – News
