Wes Hall

Wes Hall came from very humble beginnings in Jamaica to then becoming one of the most influential businesspeople in Canada. He has established himself as the preeminent leader in shareholder advisory services and contested investor situations. Canada’s leading newspaper, The Globe and Mail, has called him one of thenation’s “most influential powerbrokers,” Canadian Business magazine named him one of the “most powerful business people” in 2016, Toronto Life magazine voted him among the “50 most influential Torontonians in 2020,” the International Association of Business Communicators (Toronto) named him their “2020 Communicator of the Year,” and Maclean’s magazine ranked him number 18 on their 2021 Power List of the “50 most powerful people in Canada.”

As the Founder of Kingsdale Advisors, Wes has delivered an unparalleled track record of success for North America’s biggest names including Air Canada, Barrick, BHP Billiton, Citigroup, CN, CP, Ovintiv, Goldcorp, Talisman, and Suncor. He has been sought out to lead some of the highest profile deals and activist campaigns in North America. They include Enbridge’s $37 billion merger with Spectra Energy, Agrium and Potash Corp.’s $36 billion merger, Tim Hortons’ $12.5 billion merger with Burger King, Pershing Square Capital Management’s campaign to replace the board of Canadian Pacific Railway, and Petro Canada’s $19 billion merger with Suncor Energy.

Wes is also the owner of QM Environmental, a leading national environmental and industrial services provider with over 450 employees; Titan Supply, a top manufacturer and distributor of rigging and wear products serving industries in the oil and gas, construction, and transportation sectors; and Harbor Club hotel, Curio Collection by Hilton, one of St. Lucia’s premier resorts.

Additionally, Wes is an instructor at the Rotman School of Management of the University of Toronto (Rotman), where he teaches Black Entrepreneurship & Leadership in Canada, a first-of-its-kind course in North America that provides students with a deep understanding of the systemic anti-Black racism faced by Black entrepreneurs, the cultural impacts and how to navigate the system. In 2020, he was also one of five individuals appointed to the Ontario government’s Capital Markets Modernization Taskforce, an advisory group of experts tasked to review and modernize the province’s capital markets regulations. In 2011, Wes received the designation ICD.D from the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD) in partnership with the Rotman.

In June 2020 Wes launched Black North Initiative. BNI challenges Canadian businesses to end systemic racism head on in a business centric approach. As the Founder and Executive Chairman of BNI, Wes and his highly esteemed team of experts are collaboratively improving the lives of millions of black Canadians by opening doors that otherwise would have been shut.

Now, Wes has become the face of hope and opportunity for millions of people who look just like him. You can find Wes on the upcoming 16th season of CBC’s Dragons Den as the first black Dragon who will make an impact and conscious effort to awarding opportunities to up and coming BIPOC entrepreneurs. Wes is also proud to announce that he is the Executive Producer for Dionne Warwick documentary: “Don’t Make Me Over” which premiered at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival where Wes is a long-time member of the Board of Directors. The film has gone on to win “First Runner Up” at the festival and has been invited to several more festivals. For podcast fans, you can listen to Wes’ first ever podcast “Between Us: with Wes Hall” in partnership with TorStar group on Spotify, Apple and Google Podcasts.

In 2021, Wes received the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ from the Ontario Chamber of Commerce Business Achievement Awards for his exceptional leadership in business. Wes also be received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Ottawa in June 2021, and Toronto’s Ryerson University in November 2021.

Finally, Wes’ first ever biography “No Bootstraps When You’re Barefoot”, published by Penguin Random House will hit bookshelves everywhere in Fall of 2022.

Philanthropy:

Wes sits as a board member of the SickKids Foundation, Pathways to Education, Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and The Black Academy. He is also a Member of the Board of Governors at Huron University College and more.

Wes is Founder and Chairman of The Canadian Council of Business Leaders Against Anti-Black Systemic Racism and The BlackNorth Initiative, committed to the removal of anti-Black systemic barriers negatively affecting the lives of Black Canadians.

He has also changed the lives of thousands of children in the Caribbean and Canada, donating both his money and time. In 2015, Wes was the recipient of the Vice Chancellor’s Award and in 2017 received an Honorary Doctorate, both from the University of the West Indies.