Timberland team

Nick leads the firm’s global resource planning and timberland investment valuation, including analysis of new investment regions and global timberland investment risk and return. He leads timberland acquisition valuation and due diligence and provides oversight for resource support teams and related resource information systems. Prior to joining the firm in 2012, Nick worked for Forest Capital Partners for eight years as general manager of decision support with overall responsibilities of forest planning, information systems, and timberland valuation. Previously, he held a series of positions with Boise Cascade in Canada, Brazil, and the United States, focused on resource planning, timberland investments, and forest information systems.

• Education: B.S., Forestry, Lakehead University
• Joined the company: 2012
• Began career: 1990

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

Brian is responsible for sustainability strategy, support, and related engagements across Manulife Investment Management’s private markets business. In his role, he directs global sustainability programs for the firm’s timber, agriculture, real estate, infrastructure, and private equity and credit asset classes. Brian is also accountable for developing policies and environmental compliance mechanisms as well as being responsible for government relations concerning business and environmental strategies specific to timber and agriculture. Previously, he was director of policy and environmental advocacy for Hancock Natural Resource Group. Prior to joining the firm, 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. Brian is a director of Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification and member of the Board of Governors of the National Council for Air and Stream Improvement, and he holds the Certified Wildlife Biologist designation from The Wildlife Society.  

• Education: B.S., Wildlife Ecology, Michigan State University; M.S., Wildlife Management, South Dakota State University
• Joined the company: 2012       
• Began career: 1995

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

Tricia oversees Manulife Investment Management’s timberland and agriculture groups’ legal team in supporting customary and strategic transactional initiatives and operational, management, and client needs in the investment and property management businesses. Previously, she provided in-house counsel to John Hancock’s North American corporate finance group in connection with equity and debt investments. Prior to joining the firm, Tricia was a corporate attorney for sixteen years, where she provided legal services and advice to clients in all manner of business transactions, including private equity, mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, and corporate governance. 

• Education: B.A., English and Philosophy, Boston College; J.D., Boston College Law School 
• Joined the company: 2018 
• Began career: 2000

John leads the timberland portfolio management team that manages individual client accounts and commingled funds. John is responsible for developing and implementing client investment strategies for timberland, evaluating acquisition and disposition opportunities, evaluating portfolio performance, developing and implementing acquisition funding strategies, and managing all aspects of the client relationship. Prior to joining the firm in 2005, he 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

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

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

Christoph is responsible for defining the firm’s private real assets strategy and managing the operations and development, launch, and growth of investment solutions for clients across the globe. Prior to joining the firm, he was the global head of real estate at Credit Suisse Asset Management, where he was responsible for setting the global direct real estate strategy, raising equity, and developing new products. Before that, Christoph was the CEO of Union Investment Institutional Property GmbH, where he oversaw the institutional business, as well as being a member of the firm’s real estate investment committee. Earlier in his career, he worked at Generali Real Estate for several years and practiced law at Linklaters in Berlin and London.  

• Education: B.L., Law Studies, University of Freiburg; J.D., Doctor of Law, University of Münster–Institute for International Business Law
  
• Joined the company: 2021
• Began career: 1997