A “Dragon” on CBC’s Dragons’ Den, Wes Hall is one of the most influential businesspeople in Canada and a leading voice for equity and meaningful change. He is the founder and CEO of Kingsdale Advisors and the founder and executive chairman of WeShall Investments, a private equity firm that supports BIPOC entrepreneurs. Hall has orchestrated multi-billion-dollar deals for Canada’s corporate elite while breaking down barriers for the next generation of Black leaders. He channels his drive, passion, and commitment into his keynotes, offering audiences actionable business strategies while empowering them to enact real change.
Hall’s journey from rural Jamaica to the highest levels of Canadian business is a story of resilience, vision, and impact. Raised in a plantation worker’s shack by his grandmother, he learned the values of hard work and ambition at a very young age. After immigrating to Canada as a teenager, Hall worked a string of jobs to put himself through university and find his way to Bay Street. He shares his remarkable journey in his bestselling memoir, No Bootstraps When You’re Barefoot, which was a finalist for the 2023 National Business Book Awards.
Beyond running multiple industry-leading companies, Hall is deeply committed to giving back to the country he calls home. He is a member of the Prime Minister’s Council on Canada-US Relations; the Founder and Chairman of the BlackNorth Initiative, an organization working to dismantle systemic barriers to success; and the 35th Chancellor of the University of Toronto, the first Black person to hold the role in the institution’s nearly 200-year history.
Hall’s exemplary leadership has earned him both national and international recognition. He is the recipient of the King Charles III Coronation Medal and he holds six honorary doctorates from institutions across Canada and the University of the West Indies. Other accolades include the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, Canadian Business Leader of the Year Award from the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, the Social Impact Award from the Toronto Black Film Festival, Communicator of the Year Award from the International Association of Business Communicators Toronto, and Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year, to name but a few.
Named one of Maclean’s “50 most powerful people in Canada” for two consecutive year, and one of Toronto Life’s “50 most influential Torontonians”, Hall’s presence reflects not only business success, but a broader mission: to create opportunity, inspire future leaders, and help build a more inclusive Canadian economy.
