Wes Hall, perhaps best known for his role as an investor in the CBC television series Dragons’ Den, is delivering a keynote address at the annual Black History Month Gala on Feb. 4.
Hosted by the Afro-Heritage Association of Sudbury, Hall is delivering the address during an event set to take place at the Steelworkers Hall (66 Brady St.) beginning at 6 p.m.
Hall is also credited as being named a Canadian Business Leader of the Year 2022 and author of the bestselling memoir, “No Bootstraps When You’re Barefoot,” and for hosting the podcast, “Between Us With Wes Hall.”
He is the executive chairman and founder of Kingsdale Advisors, an organization that has advised public companies on all shareholder, governance and transaction-related matters since 2003.
Hall has helped lead high-profile deals and activist campaigns, including Enbridge’s $37 billion merger with Spectra Energy, Agrium and Potash Corp.’s $36 billion merger and Tim Hortons’ $12.5 billion merger with Burger King.
He was raised in what his Dragons’ Den biography describes as a “tin shack” in Jamaica, where he was raised by his grandmother alongside 13 siblings. He learned entrepreneurship by watching his grandmother work multiple jobs, and relocated to Canada in his teens. Hall worked various odd jobs, eventually working his way up from a mail room at a law office on Bay Street.
Alongside Hall’s keynote speech, the Feb. 4 gala will include Afro-Caribbean food, entrepreneur showcases, networking, a fashion show, live band performances and dancing.
“Our Black History Month Celebration is a milestone event that is not just reflecting on our history but it is about history in the making,” Afro-Heritage Association Sudbury president Chantae Robinson said in a media release.
“We are focused on promoting unity and togetherness through cultural experiences that promote diversity and understanding, as well as nurturing innovation that inspires creativity and success.”
Tickets range in price from $35 to $100, and are available online by clicking here as well as at the Northern Ontario Black Economic Empowerment Program (NOBEEP) office at 73 Elm Street.
