Emma Robinson & Kristine Segrist on How Canva Kills B2B vs. B2C Silos

The B2B vs. B2C Split Is Outdated

Most orgs treat B2B and consumer as separate planets. Canva doesn't. Emma Robinson runs B2B marketing, Kristine Segrist leads consumer, and they're basically joined at the hip.

"We really think about fluidity between how people work and how people live," Segrist said. "This really strict binary of B2B and B2C, we just feel like that's a little bit of an outdated notion that people are constantly moving between different spheres of their life."

People are experiencing our brand in the world in a way where they're not like, oh, what part of the org chart sent me this communication? They're just seeing things from Canva and either we're delivering value in that moment or we're not.

— Kristine Segrist

The structure reflects this. Canva has three business units—B2C, B2B, and international—plus centralized channel teams that act as centers of excellence. Marketing at scale isn't about rigid silos. It's about matrix collaboration where insights from one audience unlock growth in another.

Stop Arm Wrestling Over Attribution

The classic org chart trap: marketing and sales fighting over who gets credit. Canva killed that conversation with a clear attribution model and a 50/50 agreement with sales.

Robinson explained they use algorithms to weight touchpoints across the funnel. Every activity gets measured. Every dollar spent has to show ROI. But there's no finger-pointing over whether a lead came from marketing or sales.

"We have a very well-agreed and aligned model with our sales team, and they feel very comfortable with it," Robinson said. "It's really about accountability and how we're driving that across the teams to both be responsible for a total pipeline contribution number."

That takes the steam out of unproductive conversations. The result? Teams focus on what works, not who gets the trophy.

Let Data Make You Smarter, Not Smaller

Canva has a dedicated data science team embedded in marketing. They track usage patterns, signal next-best actions, and allocate resources based on what's actually driving outcomes. But here's the twist: all that data doesn't mean you stop taking creative risks.

It's really the balance of—I think it's important that marketing is seen as a driver of the business, not a cost center. But I think it's just using the data as a way to make you smarter, not a way to make you play smaller.

— Kristine Segrist

Take Canva Create, their flagship event that brings 5,000 people to LA for product launches, musical numbers, ball pits, and Star Wars t-shirt printing. On paper, it might not math out. But Segrist and Robinson have conviction around the power of tangible brand experiences.

The event becomes a springboard for enterprise tracks, educator programs, and creator community engagement. It's brand equity that feeds long-term growth. You can't always predict the ROI in a spreadsheet, but you can build a narrative around why it matters.

One Campaign, Multiple Business Outcomes

Canva's "Love Your Work" campaign is a case study in blending brand and demand gen. The challenge wasn't awareness—240 million active users means people know Canva exists. The problem was shallow knowledge. People used it for dinner party menus and school projects, but not at work.

The strategy? Massive out-of-home and digital ads driving to landing pages with B2B calls to action. Brand awareness at the top, demo requests and sales forms at the bottom.

You find you have this really nice blend between the brand awareness and then sort of like brand demand gen, which can come through. And so you do actually see that you can solve for both in that regard.

— Emma Robinson

Robinson framed it simply: brand is the investment that protects future lead gen. When you subtract brand spend, the narrative for CFO investment becomes clear. You're not choosing between awareness and performance. You're building the foundation for both.

Small Teams, Big Swings

Even at $3 billion in revenue, Canva tries to stay scrappy. CMO Zach Kiske reports directly to the founders, and the org is intentionally flat. The best ideas come from everywhere—experiential teams, PMM, regional markets.

Japan's marketing team experimented with the logged-out homepage, testing creator content and local partnerships to make it more visually stunning. Those learnings scaled globally. Small, empowered teams can chase high-impact ideas without bureaucratic approval chains.

"We try to make sure the org still feels flat," Segrist said. "I think those kind of bureaucratic elements can suck the life out of experimentation and trying things and moving quickly."

The lesson? Structure matters. If you want teams to move fast and test boldly, you have to design the org for it. Fluidity beats hierarchy every time.