Our Team
Management Team
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 the most preeminent shareholder advisory firm in Canada. 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 and represented Pershing Square in the campaign against CP Rail.
A staunch philanthropist, Wes is deeply committed to community upliftment. He is the founder of the ambitious and highly successful BlackNorth Initiative designed 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. 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. The Canadian Chamber of Commerce most recently awarded him the Canadian Business Leader of 2022. Wes has received Honorary Doctorates from Queens University, Toronto Metropolitan University, the University of Ottawa, and the University of the West Indies. His other accomplishments include penning a bestselling memoir, “No Bootstraps When You’re Barefoot”. Wes launched a podcast in partnership with the Toronto Star, “Between Us with Wes Hall”, and is also on the hit CBC series, “Dragons’ Den.”
Ken has over 25 years of M&A, corporate development, financing, and capital markets experience. He is responsible for WeShall’s corporate development and financing initiatives, leading the assessment of strategic opportunities, and further growing the investment portfolio. Ken has a strong advisory and financing background with significant experience in corporate/commercial transactions, mergers & acquisitions, capital markets and partnerships. Prior to joining WeShall, Ken worked at Scotiabank, leading many notable M&A and financing transactions for both the bank and its corporate clients.
Ken has served as a long-term advisor to Junior Achievement, a volunteer and supporter of Habitat For Humanity, and several other organizations including The Heart & Stroke Foundation and the Canadian Cancer Society. Ken is a Chartered Professional Accountant and holds an MBA from Ivey Business School and Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Manitoba.
Garfield Robinson is Chief Financial Officer for WeShall Investment Inc, with oversight responsibility for financial risk management for its subsidiaries and private equity investments in Canada, the USA, and the Caribbean.
As Chief Financial Officer, he leads the financial accounting and reporting function focusing on compliance with relevant accounting standards and controls, treasury and cash management, and financial planning and analysis. He also has responsibility for information technology and human resources.
Garfield is a seasoned finance executive with a wealth of experience gained across varying industries and large publicly traded companies in Canada and he Caribbean. He’s acknowledged as a finance leader with a general manager mindset adept at managing the value chain to increase revenue, margins, EBITDA, and the relationships necessary to align the strategic vision with execution. He is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Grace Foods Canada Limited, a subsidiary of Grace Kennedy Group.
Garfield has an MBA from Laurentian University, a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA), a Fellow of the Chartered Association of Certified Accountants (UK), and a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University College of the Caribbean.
Ian is a seasoned finance executive who has held several senior finance roles throughout his career. He is currently the Vice-President of Strategy and Operations at Weshall Investments Inc, working on M&A deals and also 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 the businesses to help drive revenues, contain costs and manage capital. He is a CPA, 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 Board for both Rainbow Railroad Canada and Rainbow Railroad USA, and is the Treasurer of both boards.
Born in Trinidad, Ian left at a very young age for schooling abroad and now calls Toronto home. Ian’s passions include health and fitness, mentoring young adults, along with travelling the world and ensuring that every year he visits two new countries.
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Kamika joined KSS HoldCo Inc.’s executive team in 2020 as General Counsel for the company and its varied subsidiaries, including Kingsdale. Her primary area of responsibility is managing the wide scope of legal matters that arise for the group of companies. She is also a member of the KSS HoldCo Management Committee where she helps oversee business and operational activities.
Prior to joining the KSS HoldCo team, Kamika studied and worked in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the Caribbean, in various legal capacities including as an Associate specializing in areas of corporate law, real estate, litigation, health law, employment law and wills and estates. She has also worked in academic research conducting award-winning health studies and writing published research papers to improve health outcomes and reduce the stigma associated with STI/HIV in the black community in London and the Caribbean.
Kamika holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from The University of London, City University; The Osgoode Certificate in Health Law from Osgoode Hall Law School; a Master’s degree in Health Promotion and Public Health from Brunel University in the United Kingdom; and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Law & Society from York University.
Kamika is on the Board of Directors at the Young Peoples Theatre as well as a Director-at-Large and the Treasurer of the Black Female Lawyers Network. She also serves as a Board Member of the Council of the College of Homeopaths of Ontario where she sits on various committees to ensure public safety and promotion of the College. Under appointment under The Notaries Act, RSO 1990, Kamika is a certified Notary Public & Commissioner.
Boards:
College of Homeopaths of Ontario
Black Female Lawyers Network
Young People’s Theatre
Volunteer:
Mentor in the Advancing Black Students Program at York University
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 Wilfred Laurier University and sits on the board of QM Environmental, Mobile Business Express, Friendly Fables Productions. He is also a Youth Committee Member at The BlackNorth Initiative.
Advisory Board
