As the Global Platform Partnerships lead of Australia-based Canva, a worldwide design platform with users from over 190 countries, California-born Rachel Anne Carruthers discusses Canva’s global blueprint and how they tailor their marketing strategies to specific countries or regions such as India and Indonesia. She explains how culture affects users’ design experience and platform behavior, ethical dilemmas about incorporating certain icons and symbols, how Canva operates in China, business practices in the US vs. Australia, and challenges of localization in Silicon Valley during her previous times there.

Highlights:

{03:08} Canvas growth strategies

{06:46} Offering design elements based on regions of the world the users.

{09:55} Adapting marketing based on regions of the world.

{010:53} How culture affects users’ design.

{19:53} Cultural icons and symbols that don’t work with a global platform.

{23:14} USA vs Australia business practices

Rachel Carruthers bio:

Joining Canva in 2017, Rachel was originally responsible for leading Canva’s product and marketing localization and internationalization efforts. She worked to ensure that every user has a truly localized experience (be it on the Web App, iOS, or Android platforms) while leading cross-functional globalization initiatives to support Canva’s long-term international growth strategies.

In March 2023 she shifted gears to focus on some of Canva’s key platform partnerships, driving comarketing opportunities and amplifying new product launches. So far, her favorite thing about her time at Canva has been the convergence of language and design, and the anthropological aspect of how culture can affect users' design experience and platform behavior. Prior to moving to Sydney to pursue her Master’s degree in Media, Rachel was working as a Senior Localization Project Manager back home in Silicon Valley, servicing high-profile tech enterprise clients.

Rachel is deeply passionate about language, food, and culture, and loves to travel whenever she can. Being from California she also loves being outdoors, as well as working in animal foster care.

Connect with Rachel:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelcarruthers 

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