Wes Hall, the "King of Bay Street" and CBC Dragon, on his book "No Bootstraps When You're Barefoot" (E)

Welcome to The Voice of Retail. I'm your host Michael LeBlanc. This podcast is brought to you in conjunction with Retail Council of Canada.In a special summer encore episode, the one and only Wes Hall joins the podcast to talk about his book "No Bootstraps When You're Barefoot: My rise from a Jamaican plantation shack to the boardrooms of Bay Street." Wes shares his story and advice for retailers on how they can genuinely help black entrepreneurs and adds hints for anyone who winds up in front of him on CBC's Dragon's DenAbout WesAs the executive chairman and founder of Kingsdale Advisors, Wes Hall is one of North America's most influential powerbrokers and Canada's preeminent leader in shareholder advisory services, playing pivotal roles on multi-million and billion-dollar transactions for Air Canada, Xstrata, Citigroup, Tim Horton's, PetroCanada and many others. Hall is also the owner of QM Environmental, a leading national environmental and industrial services provider with over 450 employees, among other businesses. An instructor at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, he teaches Black Entrepreneurship & Leadership, a first-of-its-kind course in North America; he is the founder of the anti-Black racism initiative, BlackNorth; and in October 2021 became one of the investors on the hit series Dragons’ Den.  About MichaelMichael is the Founder & President of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc. and a Senior Advisor to Retail Council of Canada and the Bank of Canada as part of his advisory and consulting practice. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience with Levi's, Black & Decker, Hudson's Bay, Today's Shopping Choice and Pandora Jewellery.   Michael has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. He has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions with C-level executives and participated worldwide in thought leadership panels. ReThink Retail has added Michael to their prestigious Top Global Retail Influencers list for 2023 for the third year in a row. Michael is also the president of Maven Media, producing a network of leading trade podcasts, including Canada's top retail industry podcast, The Voice of Retail. He produces and co-hosts Remarkable Retail with best-selling author Steve Dennis, now ranked one of the top retail podcasts in the world. Based in San Francisco, Global eCommerce Leaders podcast explores global cross-border issues and opportunities for eCommerce brands and retailers. Last but not least, Michael is the producer and host of the "Last Request Barbeque" channel on YouTube, where he cooks meals to die for - and collaborates with top brands as a food and product influencer across North America.