‘This is where change happens’: Wes Hall on becoming U of T’s 35th chancellor

For much of his childhood, Wes Hall lived in a tin shack in rural Jamaica, where he and his siblings were raised by their grandmother.

At 16, he moved to Toronto to live with his father. Two years later, he struck out on his own, working various menial jobs to get by – including as a dishwasher and as a poultry company’s “chicken catcher.” 

“For me to get through all those circumstances in life, I had to fight to be able to succeed,” Hall says.

And succeed, he did. Hall is now one of Canada’s most influential people – a major player on Bay Street, an investor and TV personality on CBC’s Dragons’ Den and a philanthropist dedicated to tackling systemic racism in the business world and beyond. 

At an Oct. 28 convocation ceremony for graduates from the Faculty of Arts & Science, Hall will be officially installed as the 35th chancellor of the University of Toronto. He will then proceed to confer more than 4,000 degrees to graduating students during 10 ceremonies in Convocation Hall throughout the week.

Hall says he’s honoured to serve as an advocate and ambassador for an institution committed to empowering the next generation of leaders and changemakers drawn from all sections of society.

“The University of Toronto, in my opinion, is the biggest source of upward mobility in Canada,” said Hall, who began his term as chancellor on July 1, succeeding Rose Patten.

In particular, Hall cited the diversity of U of T’s student body, with representation from 180 countries and territories, and the university’s extensive student financial supports – which include a pledge that no student admitted to the university should be prevented from studying because of a lack of financial means – as key elements that are setting the stage for a brighter future. 

“Think about the impact that will have on our society moving forward,” he says. “This is why I wanted to be a part of this university. This is where change happens.”

For Hall, change didn’t come quickly or easily. After he moved out of his father’s home, he worked during the day and took courses in the evening to earn a law clerk certificate. He began his Bay Street journey as a mailroom clerk and law clerk, before eventually landing his first managerial role at CIBC Mellon, as a relationship manager.

As a young Black man managing 11 employees, many of whom were much older and white, Hall said earning the respect of his team was far from straightforward, teaching him importance of leaving his ego at the door. 

“I don’t necessarily want to be the smartest person in the room. I want to be the person who figures the room out and understands how people there operate,” he says.

Hall adds that figuring out what made his reports tick helped him turn his biggest detractors into powerful allies.

Years later, Hall would confront doubters again when he came up with a business idea for a service that provides strategic advice to shareholders on corporate governance matters. He pitched it to his then-employers. “They thought it was nuts,” he says.

Undeterred, he approached banks for a loan so he could build the company on his own. “And they go, ‘That’s so wacky, we’re not going to fund that.’”

Eventually, Hall convinced his wife to borrow $100,000, using their house as collateral. He used the funds to set up his firm, Kingsdale Advisors. That was in 2003. Today, Kingsdale is regarded one of Canada’s top shareholder services and advisory firms, while Hall is one of the most respected power brokers in Canadian business.

In recent years, his reputation has expanded beyond executive boardrooms into living rooms across the country as a sought-after investor on CBC’s Dragon’s Den, where he says he’s constantly inspired by the creativity and drive of Canada’s entrepreneurs. “Most people come up with ideas in their mind, but entrepreneurs actually act on them – even ideas that are far-fetched in a lot of cases – and make it happen in spite of naysayers telling them they can’t do it,” Hall says.

Hall says he’s passionate about using his platform to help uplift people from underrepresented backgrounds. 

In 2020, following the killing of George Floyd by police officers in Minneapolis, he set up the BlackNorth Initiative, an NGO that provides scholarships for students, mentorship and networking for entrepreneurs, and a homeownership bridge program to help Black families own a home.

“Home ownership allowed me to start Kingsdale and create the value that I have today,” Hall said. “I want to create that same pride and opportunity for as many under-served families as possible.”

Hall has also sought to contribute to the empowerment of entrepreneurs through WeShall Investments, a private equity firm dedicated to supporting BIPOC-owned ventures.

Hall is mindful of the fact that his success story – and those of other immigrants, people of colour and people from other underprivileged backgrounds – shouldn’t be used to downplay the scale of inequality in society. 

“How many others are out there who have been deprived from fulfilling their true potential?” he asks.

A staunch believer in U of T’s mission to empower people of all backgrounds to flourish, Hall said he urges students to adopt a positive, forward-looking attitude to overcome obstacles.

He cited, as an example, Cree actor, artist and filmmaker Shirley Cheechoo, who said she preferred to be recognized as a “warrior” rather than a “survivor” of Canada’s horrific residential school system. She made the remark during a keynote address at a U of T event to mark Orange Shirt Day and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, which Hall attended.

“I was successful in fighting, and it’s now my job to show people that in order for you to go through things successfully, you have to be a fighter,” Hall says.

“It’s all about us changing our mindset and being more positive. If we do that, we can walk through life appreciating every day, celebrating every accomplishment and never taking it for granted.”