The Data Chief | Episode 123

Canva’s Moe Kiss on Why Creativity Is the Missing Ingredient in Data

Moe Kiss

Director of Data Science in Marketing

Canva

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Episode Overview

Join us for a masterclass in building data-driven marketing cultures. Moe Kiss, Director of Data Science in Marketing at Canva, shares how she bridges analytics and storytelling to make data approachable across teams. She breaks down the shift from attribution to experimentation, why storytelling is a must-have skill for every data professional, and how to balance intuition with evidence. Discover how Moe’s redefining the balance between technology, trust, and empathy in data leadership.

Key Moments:

  • Data as “Part of the Meal” (09:09): Using a cooking analogy, Moe describes how data should be integrated into decision-making, not as a garnish or afterthought, but as part of the meal itself. She highlights Canva’s culture of balancing intuition with data, ensuring both creative instinct and analytics inform every decision.
  • Storytelling as a Data Superpower (10:57): Moe breaks down her “insight headline” method, turning flat dashboards into stories that drive action. She argues that data storytelling isn’t about aesthetics but understanding, and that trust comes from how clearly insights connect to business impact.
  • Technical Fluency in the Age of AI (18:16): While some leaders claim programming is obsolete, Moe insists it’s more important than ever. Understanding what’s under the hood helps data professionals vet AI outputs, maintain data quality, and confidently guide stakeholders through rapid technological change.
  • Buy vs. Build: The Cost–Benefit Equation (20:11): Moe breaks down how Canva evaluates when to build internal tools versus buy off-the-shelf solutions. She stresses that the best answer depends on scalability, cost, and time to market — and that implementation costs are often underestimated.
  • AI’s New Role in Marketing (24:48): Moe shares how AI is reshaping marketing teams and their relationship with data. She highlights how generative AI tools can democratize access to insights, but warns that without trusted, high-quality data foundations, AI can just as easily amplify mistakes.

Key Quotes: 

 

"Data is about creativity…It’s not about it being pretty, it’s about being understood.” - Moe Kiss

“ We are leveraging AI tools more, and so understanding what's under the hood, I would say, is more essential than ever.” - Moe Kiss

“[Know] the business appetite. You need to know how to get the answer with the right level of certainty or uncertainty…at pace with the business.” - Moe Kiss

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Bio: 

Moe is a Director of Data Science in Marketing at Canva. Prior to that, she was in senior product and marketing analytics roles at THE ICONIC and in an attribution agency, Datalicious. Moe is passionate about growing and developing data scientists, driving industry leading measurement techniques and tooling and expanding the business impact of her team.

She is a passionate and active member of the analytics community, co-hosting a bi-weekly podcast, the Analytics Power Hour. She served as the president of the Analytics Association of New South Wales for 7 years and is an ongoing committee member where she helps run Data Analytics Wednesday, a monthly meet up, and Sydney MeasureCamp, yearly unconference. She won the Digital Analytics Association USA's top new practitioner award in 2018. In 2024 was nominated in the Women Leading Tech Awards in the Data Science category and was awarded Snowflake's Data Hero of the Year award.