As the Belonging and Wellbeing Lead at Canva – the all‑in‑one platform for visual communication and collaboration – Manon Pietra (MHRM&IR ’11) drives programs that strengthen inclusion and belonging across the company. She works to shape systems, culture, and everyday employee experiences around the world. Originally from France, Manon moved to Australia at 21 to complete a master’s degree at the University of Sydney. Her passion for people and purpose has helped her to introduce new ways of working in remote and digital workplaces.
Be more than just interested
Manon believes that curiosity is valuable – but being intentional with your curiosity is what will truly help you to grow. She calls it ‘strategic curiosity’. “Loads of people are naturally curious, but to really thrive these days, you have to be laser focused on being intentional with your time and interests,” she says. She believes that strategic curiosity is an inherent personality trait that can be built upon and shaped into a highly useful professional skill.
“If you’re letting yourself be bobbed around by the tide in an organisational context, especially with AI and how fast it’s developing, you’re going to be left on the backbench – no question about it,” she explains. By embracing the idea of continuous education and strategic curiosity, you can transform daily moments into powerful learning opportunities.
When you come across a new idea, she encourages you to pause and consider whether it can be applied to your work. “Even something small like a LinkedIn post can be a learning moment if you approach it with purpose,” Manon says.
“The intentional and strategic curiosity part is about recognising an opportunity in that moment, pausing, and thinking about how you can apply what you’ve just read to your role.”
Manon encourages people to write about these insights to solidify each new learning. “There’s a ton of research that says thinking about something and then writing about it involves two different pathways of the mind – especially when you’re writing by hand,” she adds. This intentional process allows us to better engage with new information each day in more bite-sized chunks. “Learning is completely blended now, and requires you to have an understanding of what business your organisation is in, and how you can make your impact align to what they’re looking for.”
Build belonging into digital-first spaces
As more of our work and personal lives shift online, Manon says the challenge isn’t just about maintaining real-world connection but creating it authentically. At Canva, this means designing an environment that is accessible and remote-first, ensuring the workfl ow for each day – from meetings to the way information is shared – works fully online. This allows teams to really treat in-person time in the physical office as meaningful. Instead of gathering people in a room to watch presentations, these in-person moments are used only for connection and relationship building.
As having a strong sense of belonging at work has become more important than ever, Manon also works to create connection where possible, across all functions of the business. “You’ve got that layer of organisational alignment, but we want connections across different dimensions,” she explains. “This might look like connecting people through lived experience, such as parents and carers coming together, or establishing women’s collectives, pride groups, neurodiversity communities and more.” In establishing accessible spaces that are still digital-first, yet connect through common ground, teams can build stronger relationships and increase their sense of belonging. “If you segment things by location, you’ll simply break that connection apart.”
Explore purpose through a portfolio career
“All the research shows that Gen Zs and Alphas are really driven by having a sense of purpose, and expect purpose,” says Manon. “But until you have those key skills to bring to the table, you need to do your best to be helpful, add value, and build your toolkit.”
Once early-career employees have the skills to barter with, Manon encourages them to focus on pursuing their moral ambitions and making impactful change. “Try to think about your career in eras rather than a single linear path, which will help you achieve more,” she says. “There are so many opportunities to have a job for money and then contribute to social enterprise on the side – it’s the age of the portfolio career, after all.” A ‘portfolio career’ – where workers take on multiple roles, clients or projects at once, rather than committing to a single employer – has become a mainstream reality for many.
Whether by embracing more than one role through your employer or jumping into a portfolio career, Manon encourages professionals to recognise that we’re all multifaceted, and that there are many ways to exercise the different parts of our personality.
“You might be a graphic designer but also serve as the chair of your company’s neurodivergence community at the same time,” she says. “There are so many ways you can explore different personas and wear different hats – you shouldn’t ever have to give up seeking to serve a broader purpose in life or at work.”