Agriculture

Brent McGowan is Chief Investment Officer and Global Head of Agriculture for Manulife Investment Management, Private Markets. In this role, Brent leads the firm’s global agriculture investment platform, overseeing investment strategy, portfolio performance, capital deployment, asset management, and business growth. Brent chairs the Agriculture Investment Committee and serves on the Private Markets Executive Committee. The platform manages more than $4 billion in agricultural investments on behalf of institutional investors worldwide.

Brent works closely with clients, consultants, and investment professionals to create long-term value through disciplined investment management, operational excellence, and responsible stewardship of agricultural assets. Brent also leads the expansion of investment capabilities across traditional farmland, agricultural operating businesses, and natural capital opportunities.

Prior to assuming the CIO and Global Head of Agriculture role, Brent served as Global Head of Agricultural Operations at Manulife Investment Management. Before joining the firm in 2021, Brent was Vice President of Operations for the Agricultural Division of Wilbur-Ellis Company, where Brent led U.S. agribusiness operations and drove operational performance across a diverse agricultural platform.

With more than 30 years of experience in agricultural investing, operations, and agribusiness leadership, Brent brings a unique combination of investment expertise and hands-on industry knowledge. Raised in California’s Central Valley, Brent developed an early connection to agriculture that continues to inform a practical, long-term approach to investing in and managing agricultural assets.

• Education: B.S., Agricultural Economics, University of California, Davis
• Joined the company: 2021
• Began career: 1996

Oliver S. Williams IV serves as Global Head of Investment Management, Agriculture, where he oversees portfolio management, client service, and water resource functions. He leads the team's work to build trusted client relationships and develop product offerings that deliver the distinctive attributes of agriculture investments. He is a member of the Agriculture Leadership team for the firm's agriculture business, serves on the Agriculture Investment Committee, and chairs company boards for the firm's Australian property management platform.

Oliver brings more than three decades of agriculture investment experience spanning portfolio leadership, client engagement, asset management, governance, and sustainable farmland management.

From 2011 to May 2025, Oliver led Manulife Investment Management's institutional agriculture investment program. Earlier in his career with the firm, he served as Director of Asset Management.

Oliver was the inaugural chair and currently serves as a board member of Leading Harvest, a nonprofit organization focused on sustainability standards for resilient farmland management. From 2021 to 2025, he was the inaugural chair of the Farmland Capital Alliance. Oliver is a CFA charterholder and a member of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers and CFA Society Boston. Raised in a farming family, he developed firsthand knowledge of agricultural production and land stewardship that continues to inform his work today.

• Education: B.S., Agricultural Economics, Cornell University
• Joined the company: 1997
• Began career: 1993

Hugues Rinfret serves as Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer, Agriculture, where he oversees the platform's internal operational strategy in collaboration with other private markets platforms and Manulife's global functions. He is responsible for policies, procedures, compliance, and governance requirements in coordination with corporate functional leadership, and he oversees the deliverables of the Agriculture Economic Research Team. He is also a member of the Agriculture Leadership Team and the Agriculture Investment Committee.

Hugues brings more than three decades of experience across agricultural investment strategy, valuation, economic research, risk management, financial modeling, and governance. His background combines deep agricultural platform knowledge with a strong focus on process and analytical rigor.

Prior to his current role, Hugues served as Deputy Chief Investment Officer, Agriculture, where he was responsible for agriculture investment strategies and for identifying and mitigating risk exposures related to the investment process, products, and client investments. He previously served as Global Head of Valuation, leading the valuation team and overseeing financial models, investment plans, and analyses for agriculture clients across the United States, Canada, Australia, and Chile.

Before joining Manulife Investment Management in 2017, Hugues served as Director of Research with MetLife Agricultural Investments and as a Senior Industry Analyst with SunTrust Bank, where he developed a market risk analysis platform for food and agribusiness portfolios. Hugues is a CFA charterholder and holds the Financial Risk Manager designation. He combines more than 30 years of professional experience with a strong personal connection to farming, having grown up on the family farm near Montreal, Canada.

• Education: A.D., Farm Management, B.S., Agronomy, M.S., Agricultural Economics, McGill University
• Joined the company: 2017
• Began career: 1993

Rick Bodio serves as Managing Director, Farmland Plus, and Global Head of Asset Management, Agriculture. He connects portfolio management with property-level operations to support client returns and strengthen internal coordination. He oversees the Resource Planning and Analysis and Farmland Plus teams and has responsibility for North American property and farm operations, providing integrated oversight across asset management and operations. He also serves on the Agriculture Investment Committee and Agriculture Leadership Team.

Rick brings more than two decades of investment management experience spanning portfolio management, asset management, resource planning, transaction evaluation, operating-company investments, and agricultural operations.

Rick first joined Manulife Investment Management in 2011 and held a range of leadership roles during his initial 12-year tenure, including Senior Portfolio Manager, Head of Farmland Plus, Managing Director, and Deputy Chief Investment Officer.

Prior to rejoining the firm in 2024, Rick served as a Managing Director at Ceres Partners. He is a CFA charterholder and a member of CFA Society Boston.

• Education: B.A., English and Philosophy, Providence College; M.B.A., University of Connecticut 
• Joined the company: 2011, 2024
• Began career: 2005

Danielle Celaya serves as Managing Director, North American Acquisitions and Dispositions, Agriculture, where she leads the firm's farmland acquisition and divestiture programs across North America. She manages a team responsible for sourcing and disposing of farmland investment opportunities, overseeing due diligence and escrow processes, and developing strategic alliance opportunities. She also serves on the Agriculture Investment Committee and Agriculture Leadership Team.

Danielle brings more than 15 years of experience spanning agricultural acquisitions and dispositions, transaction management, due diligence, property operations, and real estate finance across North and South America.

Prior to her current role, Danielle directed acquisitions in the Pacific West, sourcing permanent crop properties throughout California. She previously served as a Senior Transaction Manager supporting row and permanent crop acquisitions across the United States and Canada, as well as vertically integrated opportunities in South America. From 2013 to 2016, she served as Operations Manager for the agriculture farmland management team.

Danielle began her career in Manulife's Real Estate Finance Group. She is a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst charterholder and holds the Accredited Farm Manager designation from the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers.

• Education: B.S., Business Administration, Northeastern University; M.B.A., Boston College
• Joined the company: 2013
• Began career: 2010

Kevin Wright serves as Managing Director and Head of Australasian Agriculture, where he leads the firm's agricultural platform across Australia and New Zealand. He is responsible for shaping and executing regional strategy, overseeing property and farm operations, finance and accounting, capital deployment, water strategy, and organizational performance to deliver strong client outcomes. He also serves on the Agriculture Investment Committee and Agriculture Leadership Team.

Kevin brings more than three decades of agricultural leadership experience spanning farm operations, agribusiness management, strategic planning, capital allocation, and enterprise transformation. Throughout his career, he has led large-scale agricultural businesses across multiple regions and crop sectors, with responsibility for multi-billion-dollar investment portfolios, operational performance, and long-term value creation.

Prior to his current role, Kevin served as Head of North American Agriculture Operations and previously as Chief Operating Officer for North America Row Crops, where he oversaw a diversified portfolio of row and specialty crop operations across the United States and Canada. In these roles, he managed more than $3 billion in agricultural assets, directed significant capital investment programs, and led operational initiatives that improved financial performance, enhanced efficiency, and strengthened governance and risk management practices.

Before joining Manulife Investment Management in 2020, Kevin served as President of Ritter Agribusiness, a fifth-generation family-owned agricultural enterprise, where he led strategic transformation initiatives, diversified the business into specialty crops, and enhanced operational and financial performance across the company's agricultural portfolio. Having grown up on a family farm in Arkansas, he brings a practical understanding of agricultural operations that complements his investment and management experience.

• Education: B.S., Agriculture Business, Arkansas State University
• Joined the company: 2020 
• Began career: 1992 

Evan Newton serves as Managing Director and Global Head of Investor Relations, Agriculture, where he leads the global investor relations function for Manulife Investment Management’s agriculture investment program. He is responsible for managing investor relationships, supporting capital raising initiatives, and helping drive strategy execution across the platform. He is also involved in new product development and serves as a member of the Agriculture Leadership Team and the Agriculture Investment Committee.

Evan brings more than two decades of investment management and business development experience spanning investor relations, capital raising, institutional client engagement, consultant relations, marketing strategy, and product development. Throughout his career, he has worked closely with institutional investors, consultants, and investment teams to support fundraising efforts and build long-term client relationships across alternative investment strategies.

Prior to joining Manulife Investment Management in 2026, Evan served as Director of Business Development at US Agriculture, LLC, where he oversaw the firm's institutional sales and marketing activities. In this role, he led investor engagement initiatives and supported the growth of the firm's investment platform through strategic relationship development and capital formation efforts.

Previously, Evan served as Director of Business Development at Frontier Partners and was responsible for consultant and client relations at Evanston Capital. He began his investment management career in San Francisco with Hall Capital and Passport Capital. Evan is a CFA® charterholder and a member of the CFA Society Chicago. Evan combines his institutional investment experience with a lifelong connection to agriculture, having grown up on a family farm in Illinois.

• Education: B.S., Finance, Bradley University
• Joined the company: 2026
• Began career: 2005