Brian Kernohan Named Chief Sustainability Officer for Hancock Natural Resource Group

BOSTON (May 7, 2018)—Brian Kernohan has been appointed Chief Sustainability Officer of the Hancock Natural Resource Group, Bill Peressini, HNRG’s President and CEO said today.

In this newly created role, Mr. Kernohan will lead and coordinate HNRG’s stewardship and sustainability programs and activities. He also will continue to work with HNRG’s property management platforms and investment processes in timberland and farmland with respect to property level stewardship, sustainability and certification programs.

Mr. Kernohan, who is based in Michigan, also will continue as HNRG’s Director of Policy and Environmental Advocacy.

“Since joining us in 2012, Brian has been a strong advocate for our stewardship ethic and efforts,” said Mr. Peressini. “He is co-leading our Sustainability and Responsible Investing effort, one of HNRG’s key strategic initiatives. While he will continue to lead our policy and advocacy efforts, his new title reflects the growth in scope and significance of sustainability measures across all aspects of our business.”

In addition to directing the global sustainability program, he partners with timberland and farmland property management operations in developing policies and environmental compliance mechanisms, as well as government relations concerning business and environmental strategies.

Previously he was Manager of Environmental Affairs for Hancock Timber Resource Group Before joining Hancock Timber in 2012, he was Director of Policy at Forest Capital Partners where he was responsible for a variety of programs including forest certification, forest policy, government affairs, public relations, conservation transactions, and ecology support.

Mr. Kernohan holds a B.S. in Wildlife Ecology from Michigan State University and an M.S. in Wildlife Management from South Dakota State University. He is a Certified Wildlife Biologist, a designation accredited by The Wildlife Society.

About Hancock Natural Resource Group

Hancock Natural Resource Group is a unit of Manulife Asset Management Private Markets with investments in timber, agriculture, and renewable energy. Based in Boston and on behalf of investors worldwide, HNRG’s timber division manages approximately 6 million acres of timberland across the United States and in Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and Chile. HNRG’s agricultural investment group oversees approximately 300,000 acres of prime farmland in major agricultural regions of the United States and in Canada and Australia.