Ontario Chamber Announces Wes Hall as The 2021 OBAA Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient

(Toronto – November 8, 2021) – As part of its Ontario Business Achievement Awards (OBAAs), the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) is proud to announce Kingsdale Advisors’ Executive Chairman and Founder, Wes Hall as the 2021 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient. The Lifetime Achievement Award, sponsored by Northbridge Financial Corporation, is given to a Leader who demonstrates incredible leadership and has made a significant and positive impact for the province and beyond.

“We are extremely proud to announce that Wes Hall is the 2021 OBAA Lifetime Achievement Award recipient,” said Rocco Rossi, President and CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce. “Wes has achieved enormous success while maintaining steadfast dedication to supporting a more prosperous and inclusive Ontario. His incredible leadership and philanthropy efforts will have a lasting impact for years to come.”

The OBAA ceremony is the most recognized industry celebration in the province with a focus on celebrating business success and those who support it. Traditionally an in-person event, this year’s virtual presentation celebrates those who supported local communities throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, the event shifted to a virtual presentation to recognize those heroes making a difference. The 2021 Virtual Ontario Business Achievement Awards will air on TLN Media Group on November 13, 2021, followed by an encore presentation on November 14.

“To be a winner you must first have experienced loss. From that loss you will have learned enough lessons to better your craft, eventually making you a winner. I look at the term ‘winner’ as someone who earned it through hard work and trial and error,” said Wes Hall, Kingsdale Advisors’ Executive Chairman and Founder.

Hall has dedicated his life to impactful charitable initiatives. In the face of a global crisis, he launched Black North Initiative in June 2020 to challenge Canadian businesses to end anti-Black systemic racism head on with a business-centric approach. Recently, Hall became a Dragon on CBC’S Dragons Den with the goal of awarding opportunities to up and coming entrepreneurs who were Black, Indigenous or People of Colour.

His success has not gone unnoticed as he has been the recipient of many awards, including recipient of an honorary doctorate from the University of Ottawa (2021). He has received an honorary doctorate (2017) as well as the Vice Chancellor’s Award (2015), both from the University of the West Indies. Later this month, Hall will be receiving an Honorary Doctorate from Ryerson University. When he is not in the Dragon’s Den or inspiring systematic change in Canadian business, Hall serves as a board member of the SickKids Foundation, Pathways to Education, Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and The Black Academy and is a Member of the Board of Governors at Huron University.

The 2021 Virtual Ontario Business Achievement Awards will celebrate Difference Makers in occupations and sectors who are supporting Ontario’s economy and communities through the pandemic. These include CEO of the Year, the Lifetime Achievement Award, Small Businesses, Teachers, Food Producers, and Cooperation Between Private and Public Sectors. From the sectors who keep our communities’ shelves stocked, to Ontarians working together for the common goal of public health, this celebration is a must watch.

Thank you to our Partners! This year’s Lifetime Achievement Award is sponsored by Northbridge Financial Corporation, with Supporting Sponsor Hydro One. The OBAAs are supported by Broadcast Sponsor TLN Media Group.

Watch the 2021 Ontario Business Achievement Awards on Saturday, November 13 from 3:30 pm to 6:00 pm, and an encore presentation Sunday, November 14 from 9:00 am to 11:30 am. TLN is now in Free Preview.

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About the Ontario Chamber of Commerce
For more than a century, the OCC has been the independent, non-partisan, indispensable partner of Ontario business. The OCC’s mission is to support economic growth in Ontario by defending business priorities at Queen’s Park on behalf of its network’s diverse 60,000 members.

About Kingsdale Advisors  
With offices in Toronto and New York, Kingsdale Advisors is the leading advisor to public companies on all shareholder, governance, and transaction related matters having acted on the largest and highest profile proxy fights, transactions, and other special situations. Since 2003, public companies across North America have looked to the expertise of Kingsdale Advisors to secure the success of transactions or resolutions driven by shareholder votes. Kingsdale Advisors’ multidisciplinary team offers an array of specialized services focused on strategic and defensive advisory, governance advisory, compensation advisory, strategic communications, and voting analytics.

About Wes Hall, D.U., ICD.D 
Wes Hall is an established innovator, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. As Executive Chairman and Founder of Kingsdale Advisors and The BlackNorth Initiative, he has been repeatedly named one of Canada’s most powerful people by The Globe and Mail, Canadian Business, Toronto Life and Maclean’s. He is also the owner of QM Environmental, a leading environmental and industrial services provider; Titan Supply, a top manufacturer and distributor of rigging and wear products serving industries in the oil and gas, construction, and transportation sectors; and Harbor Club hotel, Curio Collection by Hilton, one of St. Lucia’s premier resorts. Wes is also the recipient of Honorary Doctorate Degrees from the University of West Indies (2017), University of Ottawa (2021), and Ryerson University (2021). Today, Wes is the face of opportunity and hope for millions of Canadians who look just like him. You can watch Wes on the 16th season of Canadas business reality television show, Dragons’ Den where he sits on the panel as the first Black dragon. Learn more: https://bit.ly/2ZhyGp8

For more information, please contact:
Alissa Reid
Coordinator, Public Affairs, Ontario Chamber of Commerce
alissareid@occ.ca Mobile: (705) 205-1434