Team Member

Ranj Pillai

Network Co-Lead

Ranj Pillai is a business executive and former politician who served as the tenth Premier of the Yukon. After being elected to the Yukon Legislative Assembly in 2016, he held several cabinet positions, including Premier, Deputy Premier, Minister of Economic Development, Minister Energy, Mines & Resources, Minister of Tourism and Culture, and as the minister responsible for the Yukon Development Corporation, Yukon Energy Corporation, and the Yukon Housing Corporation.

As Premier, Pillai advocated for a renewed national and international focus on Arctic security, and the need for a pan-territorial trade corridor to better connect Canada’s northern territories. He established the Yukon Arctic Security Council to advise the Government of Yukon on military and civilian preparedness needs and worked with federal partners to launch a new Northern security and defence-focused think tank — the Canadian Institute for Arctic Security — in Whitehorse. Throughout his time in office, Pillai worked to strengthen and diversify the Yukon’s economy by building an ecosystem that advances reconciliation, protects the environment, and supports entrepreneurs and the resource sector.

Pillai is the CEO of Seva Mining. He previously worked in leadership roles with the Champagne and Aishihik First Nation, Northern Vision Development, the City of Whitehorse and Yukon College. He lives with his wife in Whitehorse and is the proud father of two sons.