Cliff Obrecht
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Clifford Obrecht (born 1985 or 1986) is an Australian technology entrepreneur. He is best known as the co-founder of Canva, which he founded with Melanie Perkins and Cameron Adams. Obrecht owns 18% of the company and serves as its chief operating officer (COO).
Early life and education
Clifford was born to Stan Obrecht, a government employee and Mary Obrecht, a school teacher. He grew up in Kingsley, a suburb to the north of Perth.
Obrecht earned a degree in Arts and Education from the University of Western Australia.
Personal life
In January 2021, he married Melanie Perkins on Rottnest Island.
Net worth
Obrecht first appeared on The Australian Financial Review Rich List in 2020 with a net worth of A$3.43 billion.[note a] As of May 2025[update], the Australian Financial Review assessed his and Perkins' joint net worth as A$14.14 billion, on the 2025 Rich List; making them the sixth wealthiest Australians. As of February 2026, Forbes assessed his net worth at US$7.6 billion.
| Year | Financial Review Rich List[note a] | Forbes Australia's 50 Richest | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Net worth (A$) | Rank | Net worth (US$) | |
| 2019 | n/a | not listed | n/a | not listed |
| 2020 | 26 | $3.43 billion | ||
| 2021 | 10 | $7.98 billion | ||
| 2022 | 8 | $13.80 billion | $6.5 billion | |
| 2023 | 9 | $13.18 billion | ||
| 2024 | 10 | $13.62 billion | ||
| 2025 | 6 | $14.14 billion |
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Icon | Description |
| Has not changed from the previous year | |
| Has increased from the previous year | |
| Has decreased from the previous year |
Notes
- ^[note a] : Obrecht's net worth is assessed in Financial Review Rich List as being held jointly with his spouse and business partner, Melanie Perkins.