# Jeff Willner

> Jeff Willner is the Toronto-based founder and CEO of Range, formerly Navigatr Group, whose portfolio includes Kensington, Travel Edge, Ensemble, and TripArc. A former McKinsey consultant and ObjectArts co-founder, he combines travel entrepreneurship with Land Rover expeditions, museum philanthropy, and support for education, exploration, and conservation.

- **Role:** Founder & CEO at Range
- **Organizations:** Range, Kensington, Travel Edge, TripArc, Ensemble, Range Foundation, Royal Ontario Museum, ObjectArts, McKinsey & Company, DefenderX
- **Education:** MBA in Finance and Public Policy, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, Bachelor of Applied Science in Aerospace & Business, LeTourneau University
- **Known for:** Founded the travel business behind Kensington and Range., Co-founded ObjectArts before entering travel., Recipient of Wharton’s Lauder medal for public policy work on developing countries, according to ROM.

## Career timeline

- **1990s** — Co-founded ObjectArts, a Microsoft technical training company.
- **1999-2001** — Studied at Wharton; organized a Kilimanjaro graduation trip in 2001.
- **2001-2002** — Completed a Land Rover expedition through 57 countries, according to Range’s history.
- **2002-2006** — Worked at McKinsey & Company.
- **2006** — Started the travel business that became Kensington; opened a Nairobi destination-management office.
- **2011** — Began the agency acquisition phase recorded in Range’s history, including C Travel and Worldview Travel.
- **2015** — Range’s history dates the TripArc technology spin-off to this year.
- **2017** — Acquired agencies rebranded Travel Edge; joined the ROM Board of Governors in October.
- **2018** — Navigatr name introduced; with Stacey Madge committed $5 million to ROM’s Dawn of Life gallery.
- **2022** — Navigatr acquired Ensemble.
- **2023** — DefenderX completed the London-to-Paris stage, including the English Channel crossing.
- **2024** — DefenderX completed a transcontinental drive to Fairbanks and a 1,200-kilometer Yukon River descent.
- **2026** — Range’s history lists the launch of Kensington Plus.

## Achievements

- Founded the travel business behind Kensington and Range.
- Co-founded ObjectArts before entering travel.
- Recipient of Wharton’s Lauder medal for public policy work on developing countries, according to ROM.
- Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and member of The Explorers Club.
- With Stacey Madge, committed $5 million to establish ROM’s Willner Madge Gallery, Dawn of Life.
- Led the group that acquired Ensemble in 2022.
- Participated in DefenderX’s 2023 Channel crossing and 2024 North American expedition stages.

## Latest updates

- **2025-02** — Range Foundation published its FY2024 impact report, reporting US$6,082,838 granted to twelve partner organizations.
- **2024-12** — DefenderX published its account of a 1,200-kilometer Yukon River descent during 2024.
- **2024-03** — DefenderX reported completing a 9,500-kilometer drive from St. John’s to Fairbanks in twelve days.

## Links

- Website: https://www.rangegroup.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-willner
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/Jeff_Willner

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/jeff-willner
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-10