Timberland

Tom leads Manulife Investment Management’s institutional timberland investment program, overseeing investment underwriting and portfolio management, acquisitions and dispositions, resource planning and analysis, client account management, economic research, and property management. He’s a member of the senior management team for the firm’s timberland and agriculture businesses and serves on the executive committee. He also leads the timberland management team and serves on the timberland investment committee. Previously, Tom served as global head of timberland and farmland operations, where he developed and led large-scale, integrated, investor-owned, and third-party agriculture and forestry property management platforms. Prior to that, he served as director of global timber operations. Tom has also served as senior portfolio manager, where he was responsible for account management and portfolio development for individually managed timber accounts, as well as pooled investment vehicles; and general manager, Southern Division and Mid-Atlantic region manager. Prior to joining the firm in 2004, Tom was a procurement manager for International Paper’s Pensacola paper mill and McDavid sawmill enterprise. Among other roles, he served as forest operations manager as well as forest analyst for Champion International Corporation.

• Education: B.S. with honors, Forest Resources and Conservation, University of Florida
• Joined the company: 2004
• Began career: 1995

As deputy CIO, Nick leads the development of new investment strategies and growth initiatives, client investment governance, and identifying and mitigating risk exposures related to our timberland investment process, products, and client investments.  He’s a member of the timber and agriculture investment committee and timberland investment strategy committee and is also directly involved with business development activities, structuring investment management agreements, and designing client investment goals and constraints. Prior to joining the firm in 2008, Nick coordinated the resource planning functions for HVP Plantations, a Manulife Investment Management Timberland and Agriculture-managed entity; he also worked at Pöyry Management Consulting, where he consulted on a variety of projects throughout the Asia-Pacific region, including forest appraisals, due diligence, and strategic planning. Nick is a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a full member of the Institute of Foresters of Australia and the New Zealand Institute of Forestry. 

• Education: B.S., Forest Science, Ph.D., Forest Science, University of Melbourne; M.B.A., Finance, Deakin University
• Joined the company: 2008
• Began career: 2001

Eric is responsible for developing timberland and agriculture products that deliver on the firm’s sustainability and responsible investing priorities. In this role, he’s directly involved in developing the firm’s carbon and climate investment strategy, supporting new business development, and providing market intelligence and leadership. Prior to joining the firm in 2021, Eric was a senior director with NatureVest, the impact investing arm of The Nature Conservancy, where he led asset management and the investment committee’s review of new transactions. Previously, he was a principal with The Skoll Foundation, a private foundation focused on social entrepreneurship, where he led program-related and follow-on investments.

• Education: B.S., Economics, The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania; M.A., International Economics and International Relations, School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University
• Joined the company: 2021
• Began career: 2004

Eduardo provides strategic leadership for the firm’s global timberland operations platforms. In this role, he is responsible for managing health, safety, environmental, and risk while meeting client needs and maintaining internal profitability. Prior to joining the firm in 2021, Eduardo held several roles at CMPC Celulosa where he was chief operating officer of forest and wood products where he was responsible for 2.9 million acres (~1,173,588 hectares) of timber operations in Chile, Brazil, and Argentina. In addition, he was responsible for lumber operations, including three sawmills, two remanufacturing facilities and one plywood mill. Previously, Eduardo held several positions at Rayonier.

• Education: B.S., Forestry Engineering, Universidad Austral de Chile; M.B.A., Universidad de Concepcion
• Joined the company: 2021
• Began career: 1996

David leads the firm’s timberland acquisition and divestiture programs globally. In this role, David manages a team that focuses on acquiring investment-grade timberland across all target area geographies. In addition, he’s responsible for overseeing disposition strategies for each investor for both large-scale dispositions and retail sales. Previously, David was a regional forester and operations coordinator in the firm’s forest operations and stewardship areas, where he was responsible for the assignment, review, and reporting of all third-party appraisal work performed on the firm’s North and South American properties. Prior to joining the firm in 1994, David worked with a timberland consulting firm in the southern United States. 

• Education: B.S., Forest Management, M.S., Forest Economics, M.B.A., Mississippi State University
• Joined the company: 1994
• Began career: 1992

Ashley leads a team of valuation and forestry professionals as part of the Global Resource Planning division of MIMT. Her focus is on timber investment models and valuations for new acquisitions, third-party appraisals, long-term property management plans, and client education. She also develops and maintains value-added decision support focused on investment risk, forest information, timberland market intelligence and related investment analytics. Previously, Ashley served as the lead review appraiser for Nuveen’s $13 billion farmland and timber portfolio. Ashley has also served as Manager of Property Valuations for Hancock Timber Resource Group, and as a timberland appraiser with Sewall Company. She is a Registered Forester and an MAI designated appraiser with the Appraisal Institute.

• Education: M.S. Forestry, North Carolina State University; B.S., Forest Management, North Carolina State University; M.B.A. University of North Carolina
• Joined the company: 2024
• Began career: 2005

John leads the Timberland Portfolio Management and Client Services (PMCS) team that manages individual client account and commingled fund portfolios as well as our client relationships. John and the PMCS team are responsible for developing and implementing client investment strategies, evaluating acquisition and disposition opportunities, evaluating and reporting on portfolio performance, developing and implementing acquisition funding strategies, and managing all aspects of the client relationship. John is a member of Timberland Strategy Team and Timberland Investment Committee.  He is a director on various boards and management committees governing our client investment entities. Prior to joining the firm in 2005, John was a senior consultant at Pöyry, where he focused on strategy development, capital project analysis, and asset valuation within the forest products industry. John is a CFA® charterholder and is a member of the CFA Society Boston.

• Education: B.S., Finance, University of Rhode Island
• Joined the company: 2005      
• Began career: 1996

Mike is responsible for business development activities with a focus on capital formation for the firm’s global timberland strategy. He is also involved in new timberland product development and is a member of the Timberland Strategy Team. In addition, he manages investment portfolios and large institutional client relationships. Prior to joining the firm, Mike was a partner at Global Forest Partners, where he was directly involved in portfolio management, valuation analysis, and investment research. Previously, Mike was an equity research analyst at Merrill Lynch, where he covered the forest products industry. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and is a member of the CFA Society Boston. 

• Education: B.S., Finance, Pennsylvania State University
• Joined the company: 2017
• Began career: 2005