First Black chancellor installed at U of T in nearly 200 years
Wes Hall, who is renowned for his commitment to diversity and inclusion, will serve as U of T’s first Black chancellor despite the university’s almost 200-year history.
Successful investor, philanthropist, and TV personality Wesley J. Hall has officially been installed as the University of Toronto’s (U of T) 35th chancellor. While his three-year term began on July 1, he was officially installed on October 28 ahead of the fall convocation ceremony for U of T’s Faculty of Arts and Science graduates.
Dr. Wes Hall will serve as the first black chancellor of U of T, despite the university’s almost 200-year history. As chancellor, he will act as the ceremonial head of the university, responsible for presiding at convocations, conferring degrees, and acting as an ambassador to the “wider community and alumni worldwide,” according to an article on the U of T website.
Dr. Hall told U of T News that he is “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.”
Dr. Hall grew up in a plantation workers’ shack in rural Jamaica, where his grandmother raised him and his siblings. He moved to Toronto at 16 to live with his father, and at 18, he began working to support himself while taking night school courses to earn a law clerk certificate.
Dr. Hall started his professional career as a mailroom clerk before moving his way up to a position as a law clerk, eventually landing his first managerial position at CIBC Mellon. In 2003, he set up his shareholder advisory firm, Kingsdale Advisors, which has since grown to become one of Canada’s leading firms of its kind.
Dr. Hall is also the executive chairman and founder of WeShall Investments, a private equity firm with a diverse portfolio of companies predominantly led by BIPOC entrepreneurs. He is considered a champion of diversity and inclusion and is “deeply committed to creating opportunities for disadvantaged individuals and communities,” according to U of T President Meric Gertler.
Dr. Hall also serves as the founder and chairman of BlackNorth Initiative, a non-profit organization offering mentorship to Black entrepreneurs in Canada. He also appeared on CBC’s “Dragons’ Den” as an investor since 2021.
Before being elected to serve as chancellor, Dr. Hall had pre-established ties to U of T. In 2021, Dr. Hall partnered with U of T’s Rotman School of Management to create and instruct the first course on Black entrepreneurship and leadership in Canada. Dr. Hall also received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from U of T in 2023.
“His professional and personal accomplishments and talents make him eminently qualified to take on the position of chancellor,” said Gertler. “On behalf of the entire University of Toronto, I thank him for his willingness to contribute his immense talent and experience to the advancement of our academic mission.”
