Today, Wes Hall is at the top of his game. As one of Canada’s most successful business leaders, he’s the newest — and first Black — “Dragon” on CBC’s Dragons’ Den. Wes will share his prolific journey from a Jamaican plantation shack to the boardrooms of Bay Street in his forthcoming memoir, No Bootstraps When You’re Barefoot, available October 4, 2022.
Wes grew up in a zinc-roofed shack with his 13 siblings in Jamaica. He was raised by his grandmother who showed him the value of hard work, perseverance, and dreaming big. At sixteen, Wes came to Canada, sponsored by a father he’d only seen a few times as a child, and by the time he was eighteen, he was out of his father’s house, on his own.
Wes went on to become a major entrepreneur, business leader, philanthropist, and change-maker, working his way up from a humble position in a law firm mailroom by way of his intelligence, curiosity, and ability to see opportunities that other people don’t.
At age 34, Wes founded Kingsdale Advisors, which is now one of North America’s leading shareholder advisory firms. In June 2020, Wes founded BlackNorth Initiative (BNI) to challenge businesses to put an end to systemic anti-Black racism. He’s committed to breaking down barriers for the next generation of Black leaders.
Well aware of racism and injustice, his lack of privilege, and the other roadblocks to his success, Wes has always believed that he can walk along any cliff edge without falling. His new book teases out and shows how he fostered that resolve in himself, exploring his childhood and the milestone successes and failures of his career to share not only how he stopped himself from falling, but survived and thrived, and then dedicated himself to bringing his family and his community along with him.
Throughout his life, Wes has resisted sinking into despair or getting lost in anger; now he wants to tell truth to power and pave a path forward. His “rags-to-riches” story carries a profound message of hope and change.
No Bootstraps When You’re Barefoot will be available October 4, 2022. Interested in learning more about Wes and what he can bring to your next event? Email us at [email protected].
