Wes Hall’s path to success hasn’t been easy. Learn about how the Dragon’s Den investor, business leader, philanthropist, and George Brown College alum overcame big challenges to rise to Bay Street success at a fireside chat at Waterfront Campus.
Alumni Relations in collaboration with the Office of Anti-Racism, Equity and Human Rights Services and the Community Partnerships Office is hosting the February 8 event at the Daphne Cockwell Centre for Health Sciences as part of the college’s Black Futures Month celebrations. Everyone who attends this free event will receive a copy of Hall’s best-selling memoir No Bootstraps When You’re Barefoot: My rise from a Jamaican plantation shack to the boardrooms of Bay Street.
Hall is known as a Dragon’s Den investor, best-selling author, philanthropist, change-maker, and business leader. This month, GBC alum Wesley Hall earned another title: nation builder.
On January 25, Hall received the Empire Club of Canada’s Nation Builder Award for 2023. The honour recognizes individuals making “positive, timely and lasting” contributions to Canadian society and inspire others with their actions.
And his actions are impressive, especially considering the hurdles he had to overcome, including a difficult childhood in Jamaica and racism and roadblocks he encountered when he arrived in Canada as a teenager. Starting in a law firm mailroom, he went on to become a successful entrepreneur, media personality, and Canadian business leader.
Hall is the first Black Dragon on CBC’s Dragon’s Den and the founder and executive chairman of WeShall Investments and Kingsdale Advisors. He's also the owner of QM Environmental, a leading environmental and industrial services provider; Titan Supply, a manufacturer and distributor of rigging and wear products; and the Harbor Club luxury hotel in St. Lucia, part of Hilton’s Curio Collection. In 2020, he founded the BlackNorth Initiative (BNI) to spur Canadian businesses to tackle anti-Black racism. George Brown College is among the signatories of the BNI pledge. And his generosity extends to organizations throughout Canada and the Caribbean, including the SickKids Foundation, the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), and the Black Academy, among many others.
