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Bernie Ferguson
Chairperson, NED, Mentor
Bernie Ferguson serves as the Chair at Catalyser, where he is involved as a Non-Executive Director. His role focuses on providing guidance in product and technology to support the company's mission of empowering Australian founders and enhancing governance structures within the tech sector.13
Ferguson has a background in technical program management, previously holding a position as Head of Technical Program Management at Canva. He has also completed a Company Directors Course and has experience in governance foundations for not-for-profit organizations.12 His expertise is centered around fostering accountable governance to accelerate innovation and growth in the tech industry.3
Highlights
This Friday marks my final day at Canva, concluding a truly epic journey.
Working with such a talented team of Canvanauts on a product that has touched millions globally has been such a huge privilege. It's been particularly rewarding to have built the Technical Program Management (TPM) team from inception. Under the TPM mission to "Build a sustainable culture of positive urgency in delivery", the TPM team has grown to be recognised as essential delivery partners. I'm immensely proud of the impact we've made, the positive case studies we've created, and the glowing feedback from stakeholders.
In just a short span, the TPM team has:
- Become integral to executing critical company strategies helping to make Canva’s Crazy Big Goals, Happen.
- Grown to 44 members, with a positive representation of 43% women.
- Enhanced capabilities and ownership in crucial areas such as; product delivery processes, team capacity planning, prioritisation, dependency management, release management, delivery tooling and so on.
- Significantly improved our delivery record alongside Canva’s remarkable growth.
With a group of highly capable emerging leaders within the TPM team, the time feels right for me to step back and explore what comes next.
Looking ahead, I'm excited to spend more quality time with my family. My children, aged 7 and 10, are at a wonderful age, and I'm looking forward to giving my wife more space to pursue her own exciting career opportunities.
I also continue my work as a Board Director, Chairperson and Mentor for various NFPs and social enterprises. I’m specifically dedicated to securing funding for initiatives that deliver impactful social outcomes. If you're interested in investing or learning more about these ventures, feel free to drop a comment below or send me a DM.
Thank you to everyone at Canva — it’s been an incredible journey, and I look forward to staying connected and supporting all of your future successes.
Onwards and upwards! 🚀
#farewell #canva #TPM #delivery #thankyou #careerbreak
Photo credit: Canva's ✨ Magic Media ("TPM leaves awesome and talented people at Canva. Rubber ducks" 'Concept Art' )
Only 8 days to go until Canva Create!
The keynote promises to be totally epic, and the new features coming your way are just SO EXCITING 🤩 🚀 🎉. A massive thanks to all the amazing Canvanauts working together across Canva to make these crazy big goals, happen! 🙌 Join us online 📽 #CanvaCreate #DesignMadeEasy
