Wes Hall (businessman)

Wesley J. Hall is a Canadian businessman and entrepreneur, best known as a "Dragon" investor in the Canadian edition of the reality television series Dragons' Den.[1]

Wes Hall
Hall in 2024
35th Chancellor of the University of Toronto
Assumed office
July 1, 2024 (2024-07-01)
PresidentMeric Gertler
Preceded byRose Patten
Personal details
Born
Wesley J. Hall

Saint Thomas, Jamaica
OccupationBusinessman, entrepreneur

Life and career

edit

Born and raised in Saint Thomas, Jamaica,[2] Hall moved to Toronto, Ontario, as a teenager.[3] After being educated as a law clerk at George Brown College, he worked in the legal division of CanWest until founding Kingsdale Advisors, a shareholder services and business consultancy, in 2002.[3] In 2006, the firm became a major player in Canadian business when it managed Xstrata's purchase and takeover of Falconbridge.[3] He also later established QM Environmental, an environmental remediation firm.[2]

In 2020 he launched the BlackNorth Initiative, an organization which works to combat racism in business.[4]

He joined Dragons' Den in 2021 for the show's 16th season.[1]

He has written his autobiography "No Bootstraps When You’re Barefoot", honoring his grandmother.[citation needed]

Hall was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Toronto in 2023.[5] In 2024, he was selected to serve as the university's 35th chancellor.[6]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b Murtz Jaffer, "New panelist on ‘Dragons’ Den,’ Wes Hall (a.k.a. ‘The Fixer’) brings a different approach". Toronto Star, October 19, 2021.
  2. ^ a b Noelle Boughton, "I don't know what impossible is, says Wes Hall". Wealth Professional, September 7, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c Joe O'Connor, "Man on a mission: How Wes Hall and the BlackNorth Initiative are bringing change to Bay Street". National Post, September 23, 2020.
  4. ^ Shannon Proudfoot, "How Wes Hall is attacking racist systems, starting at the top". Maclean's, January 18, 2021.
  5. ^ University of Toronto, U of T to confer honorary degrees on 14 academic, business and community leaders, February 16, 2023. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  6. ^ UofT News Team (May 16, 2024). "Wesley J. Hall elected to serve as the 35th chancellor of the University of Toronto". U of T News.