Our Team
Management Team
As the chairman and founder of WeShall Investments, a private equity firm with a diverse portfolio of companies predominantly supporting BIPOC entrepreneurs, Wes Hall comes from humble beginnings in rural Jamaica. He grew up in a plantation worker’s shack as one of several children supported by his grandmother. Despite these challenges, his grandmother instilled in him the value of hard work, ambition, and industriousness.
In 1985, Wes immigrated to Canada, where he set about to become the businessman you see today. Dressed daily in a suit, Wes started as a mail clerk at a leading law firm in Toronto. His curiosity, intelligence, and ability to spot opportunities allowed him to turn a $100K loan from the bank to start his first business, Kingsdale Advisors, into becoming Canada’s most preeminent shareholder advisory firm.
Wes’ expertise was invaluable on the complicated dispute between Toronto-based Goldcorp and Nevada-based Glamis Gold from 2004 to 2006, Xstrata PLC’s USD 18-billion takeover of Falconbridge in 2006, and the $19-billion merger between Suncor and Petro-Canada in 2009.
A staunch philanthropist, Wes is deeply committed to community upliftment. He founded the ambitious and highly successful BlackNorth Initiative to help end systemic anti-Black racism in Canada. He has instructed Black Entrepreneurship & Leadership at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, a first-of-its-kind course in North America. Wes is the vice-chair of the Board of Governors at Huron University College, a member of the Capital Markets Modernization Taskforce, and sits on the board of directors for SickKids Foundation, TIFF, and Pathways to Education Canada.
In 2021, the Ontario Chamber of Commerce awarded him the Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce awarded him the Canadian Business Leader of 2022. Wes has received Honorary Doctorates from the University of West Indies, the University of Ottawa, Toronto Metropolitan University, Queen’s University, the University of Toronto, and York University. He received the Medal of Distinction from Huron University in 2022 and the Nation Builder Award from the Empire Club in 2024. Wes was named one of Bay Street’s top 40 most influential figures in the past 4 decades by the The Globe and Mail in 2024.
Wes’ other accomplishments include penning a bestselling memoir, “No Bootstraps When You’re Barefoot,” which was a finalist for the 2023 National Business Book Awards. He launched a podcast in partnership with the Toronto Star, “Between Us with Wes Hall,” and is also on the hit CBC series, “Dragons’ Den.” Wes is also an in-demand speaker invited to speak across Canada and a frequent guest on BNN Bloomberg.
Ray Forzley is a seasoned financial executive with over 30 years of experience specializing in financial strategy, mergers and acquisitions, and operational leadership. He leads WeShall’s financial management and plays a central role in driving the company’s strategic decision-making and operational growth. His depth of expertise aligns closely with WeShall’s long-term vision for sustainable growth and performance excellence.
Before joining WeShall, Ray served for over six years as CFO of Farber Debt Solutions, during which the company experienced significant growth. He oversaw finance, data management, and facilities, collaborating with HR and technology as part of the firm’s shared services leadership.
Ray has held senior financial leadership roles across a range of sectors, including as CFO for a portfolio of television production companies and the National Ballet of Canada. He was also Director of M&A at MDC Partners (now Stagwell), where he helped close more than 60 transactions across North America and the UK.
He brings particular strength in transaction negotiation, investment analysis, due diligence, and post-deal integration. Ray also has experience overseeing managed investments for multiple US-based firms. He began his career at KPMG as an auditor and holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Carleton University and is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA).
Ian is a seasoned finance executive who has held several senior finance roles. He is currently the Vice-President of Strategy and Operations at Weshall, working on M&A deals and strategically working closely with the CEOs of the various subsidiary companies to drive margins. In his previous roles, Ian consulted in a CFO capacity and was the Vice-President of Finance for Rogers Communications Residential Division, as well as the CFO for Canadian Business Television.
Ian is a strong business partner who is very strategic and enjoys collaborating with businesses to help drive revenues, contain costs and manage capital. He is a CPA and MBA and attended both Harvard Business School and Rotman School of Management. Ian sits on the Board of Casey House Hospital and Casey House Foundation and is also a member of the Finance Committee for both organizations. Ian also sits on the boards for both Rainbow Railroad Canada and Rainbow Railroad USA and is the treasurer of both boards.
Born in Trinidad, Ian left for school abroad at a very young age and now calls Toronto home. Ian’s passions include health and fitness, mentoring young adults, travelling the world, and ensuring that he visits two new countries every year.
Ian volunteers as a Rotman Leadership Exploration Advice Development Success Program mentor.
Brentyn oversees the strategic operations of WeShall and its portfolio companies and Wes Hall’s Dragons’ Den investments. He partners with internal and external stakeholders to execute strategic, operational, and financial mandates. Brentyn holds a B.B.A from Wilfrid Laurier University and sits on the board of QM Environmental, Mobile Business Express, and Friendly Fables Productions. He is also a Youth Committee Member at The BlackNorth Initiative.
Olamide Omolaja is a seasoned legal professional with over 15 years of experience spanning top-tier commercial law firms and in-house legal departments across Africa and North America. He brings deep expertise in mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, private equity, regulatory compliance, litigation management, and corporate governance.
He currently serves as Senior Legal Counsel at WeShall, where he advises on complex corporate transactions—including mergers and acquisitions, debt and equity financing—commercial agreements, and strategic initiatives. He also provides legal support to WeShall’s operating companies and subsidiaries. His previous roles include senior legal and leadership positions at a major North American energy company and a fintech startup, where he provided strategic counsel on cross-border transactions, regulatory frameworks, technology-related transactions and corporate structuring.
Olamide’s career includes a distinguished tenure at a leading African private equity firm, where he advised on high-value investments across multiple sectors and jurisdictions. He began his legal journey at top Nigerian law firms and has also worked in the Chicago office of a global law firm, as well as with international legal and policy organizations based in Washington, D.C.
Licensed to practice in Ontario, New York, and Nigeria, Olamide is known for his strategic thinking, attention to detail, and ability to navigate complex legal landscapes with clarity and precision.
With over 20 years of experience in Financial and Management Accounting, Gloria is a CPA, CMA and has a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Nigeria.
Gloria began her accounting career as an auditor with Nigeria’s oldest indigenous accounting firm Akintola Williams & Co. (now Akintola Williams Deloitte). As an auditor, she worked with the Federal Government’s panel that reconciled and settled the debts between the country’s major parastatals.
Gloria has worked in diverse sectors of the economy including banking, construction, manufacturing and franchising. Before joining WeShall, Gloria was the Accounting & Administration Manager at Sensient Flavors Canada, where she was responsible for implementing financial controls, financial analysis & reporting and budgeting. She was a subject matter expert in the process of the company’s migration to a new ERP system.
Gloria is responsible for WeShall’s group of entities’ financial accounting, planning & analysis, financial regulatory compliance and tax filings. She is also responsible for the continuous review of internal control system and accounting processes to ensure that they are in line with the goals of the company.