Ragnar Siil

Ragnar Siil is a founder and managing partner of Creativity Lab - creative economy think tank and consultancy group. He is an expert in cultural policies and creative industries development strategies. From January 2016 to January 2018, Ragnar works as a Key Expert at the EU-Eastern Partnership Culture and Creativity Programme, advising governments, cultural operators and other stakeholders from Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Belarus in strengthening cultural and creative sectors in those countries. 

Previously, Ragnar Siil worked at the Estonian Ministry of Culture from 2005 and from 2011 until 2013 as Undersecretary of State for the Arts. In his position he was responsible for drafting the new cultural policy until 2020 and he has been the main architect of the creative industries policy in Estonia since 2006. Ragnar has also been a chairman of the European Union expert group on cultural and creative sectors, expert at the European Creative Industries Alliance’s Policy Learning Platform and member of European Commission’s platform Voices of Culture. 

In addition to culture, Ragnar is passionate about training of debating and public speaking skills. He is Estonian champion in debating and has been coaching the national team and repeatedly adjudicating the finals of the debating world championships. Ragnar Siil is a founder and manager of Estonian Public Speaking Academy. Ragnar holds a degree in political science from the University of Tartu and is currently undertaking doctoral studies at the Estonian Business School on creative clusters. He has been conferred with the French honour Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters.