On July 1, 2024, Canadian businessman and philanthropist Wes Hall began his three-year term as U of T’s new Chancellor. The Chancellor serves as the university’s ambassador locally, provincially, nationally, and internationally and also chairs U of T’s Convocation. 

Hall has had a storied career — he worked as a law clerk, founded his own private equity firm, and served as a judge on Dragons’ Den, the show where entrepreneurs pitch their ideas to Canadian business executives. In an interview with The Varsity, Hall shared more about his beginnings and his journey through the business world that eventually led him to U of T. 

From the Caribbean to Canada

Hall spent much of his childhood in Jamaica, in a neighbourhood where much of his family still lives. He was raised by his grandmother after his mother left him in her care, along with her 10 grandchildren, in a plantation worker shack. “I thought my entire life was going to be [like] that, namely because, everyone in that community, that’s their life,” said Hall. 

Hall’s father, who lived in Canada, eventually decided to bring his son here. Hall recalls his anxiety surrounding the move: “I thought something was going to prevent me from going… I don’t know what it was, but I can’t be this lucky.” Hall eventually arrived in Canada with no issues — “I got through and… there’s my dad… this is the dream I had.”

Coming to Canada was a culture shock for Hall. “I got in this car and then I [started] to drive on the 401. I’d never seen a highway like that before.” It was also Hall’s first time experiencing fall and winter, which he found beautiful, “it was a pleasant culture shock.”

Endeavours in law and business

Hall’s first few jobs were challenging. After moving out of his father’s home, he supported himself by working as a dishwasher and a chicken wrangler, among other roles. He didn’t let this deter him: “What I learned from leaving rural Jamaica to going to the city to now coming to Canada was that anything was possible.” 

This belief motivated him to study for his law clerk certificate in the evenings, eventually leading him to a position as a law clerk at Canwest Global. Hall recalls competing against more experienced candidates, but emphasizes that confidence played a key role in helping him secure the job. 

With his experience, Hall founded Kingsdale Advisors, a strategic shareholder advisory firm. These firms provide companies with guidance on shareholder activism — when shareholders use their stakes to influence management — and corporate governance. His business was initially met with skepticism. “I went to all the banks to sell them on the idea, and they thought I was crazy,” he said

After consulting his wife, Hall mortgaged his house and officially launched Kingsdale Advisors, which is now considered one of Canada’s top advisory firms. 

Black entrepreneurship and leadership at Rotman

Hall has been deeply committed to improving diversity in the business community. Before 2020, a member of the UTSC campus approached him to create a new program, noting “students would benefit from [Hall]’s experience.”

Although he initially did not have time to dedicate to the initiative, the onset of COVID-19 allowed him to focus on developing the Black Entrepreneurship and Leadership course at the Rotman School of Management. The syllabus included case studies of successful Black entrepreneurs such as Madam C.J. Walker and Michael Lee-Chin. 

The course also explored the experience of immigrants and non-Black persons of colour. Hall explained that he wanted to “focus on people who came to [Canada] and built something of themselves.” 

The program was eventually offered online in the Spring 2021 semester. Hall recalls that students greatly enjoyed the course, and he valued the experience himself: “It was a privilege for me to be a part of that.” As the course continues, he hopes to eventually offer an in-person edition.

The BlackNorth Initiative

Hall was inspired to take further action against racism after the death of George Floyd in 2020. He wrote an article in The Globe and Mail titled “When I look in the mirror, I see George Floyd – and so do others.” 

In the article, Hall reflects on how Black people continue to face systemic racism regardless of their success. He recalls being hesitant to help an elderly white woman who had fallen in his neighbourhood — fearing that police might misinterpret his intentions, or that she would be startled by a Black man offering help. 

After the article was published, Hall began to receive calls from various business executives asking him how they could help. “At the end of the day, I said, let’s do something about it,” said Hall. 

This led him to create the BlackNorth Initiative, which works to end systemic anti-Black racism. One of its main goals is to improve the representation of Black Canadians in boardrooms and executive positions. Now in its fifth year, the initiative also offers programs to expand access to early career opportunities, affordable homeownership, and other funding resources for underrepresented groups.

Life at U of T

Since coming to U of T, Hall has been amazed by the diversity of the student body. “I sit there in Convocation, I see the [graduating] class, and it’s like the United Nations,” he said. This experience has inspired him to dedicate even more time to his diversity initiatives, like BlackNorth. “Now that I see this up close, it empowers me more to continue to do what I think I need to do, to build allyship so that their struggles are not as difficult as my struggles.”

Hall’s goal as Chancellor is to leave “an impact that is good for the institution.” He specifically wants to challenge the stigma surrounding academia. “[Academia] is under attack. We see what’s going on in the United States, we see even what’s going on in Canada… but [academia] is the future of our country… it shouldn’t be under attack. It should be embraced and empowered.” 

He hopes to address this by leveraging his ties to the business world. Ultimately, Hall wants U of T to stand as an example to the rest of society — not as an institution under fire, but as one embraced as a guide for the future.