Wes Hall (businessman)

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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]

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] .

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References

  1. 1 2 Murtz Jaffer, "New panelist on ‘Dragons’ Den,’ Wes Hall (a.k.a. ‘The Fixer’) brings a different approach". Toronto Star , October 19, 2021.
  2. 1 2 Noelle Boughton, "I don't know what impossible is, says Wes Hall". Wealth Professional, September 7, 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 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.