Hancock Natural Resource Group Announces Tom Sarno as Global Head of Timberland Investments

News Release

For Immediate Release                                                              
TSX/NYSE/PSE: MFC    
SEHK: 945
May 11, 2020

 

Hancock Natural Resource Group Announces Tom Sarno as Global Head of Timberland Investments

BOSTON, MA – Hancock Natural Resource Group (HNRG), a Manulife Investment Management company, today announced Tom Sarno as Global Head of Timberland Investments, effective immediately. Previously Mr. Sarno was Senior Managing Director, Head of Timberland and Farmland Property Management Operations at HNRG. He joined HNRG in 2004.

In his new role, Mr. Sarno will have oversight of HNRG’s timber business strategy – an integral part of Manulife Investment Management’s private markets platform. Mr. Sarno’s responsibilities include: Acquisitions and Dispositions, Resource Planning and Analysis, Client Account Management, Economic Research, and Property Management. Mr. Sarno’s appointment reflects his extensive experience in timber investments and operations. He will continue in his role as a member of the HNRG Executive team and report to William Peressini, Chief Executive Officer, HNRG.

“I am pleased that Tom has been selected as the new Global Head of Timberland Investments, said Mr. Peressini. “The confidence that both the HNRG Board and I have in Tom, based on his 25 years of direct experience, including the last 16 years in various capacities of increasing responsibility at HNRG and his contributions in those positions, made him the very best candidate for the role. His depth and breadth of professional and leadership experience help to assure continued success for our clients and stakeholders.”

“I am very excited to lead HNRG’s strategy of developing and managing globally diversified timberland portfolios and providing excellent service to our clients. Our firm has a long track record of providing investors with capital preservation, portfolio diversification and attractive risk and return characteristics. Combined with Sustainability and Responsible Investing (SRI) and natural climate solutions attributes, we believe investors will continue to be attracted to the timberland asset class and HNRG. I look forward to working collaboratively across Manulife Investment Management’s broad private markets team to continue to maximize opportunities for our clients,” added Mr. Sarno.

                                                       

About Hancock Natural Resource Group

Hancock Natural Resource Group (HNRG) is part of Manulife Investment Management’s comprehensive Private Markets platform, which includes Private Equity and Credit, Infrastructure, Real Estate, Timber and Agriculture. HNRG’s timber division manages approximately 5.6 million acres of timberland across the United States and in Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and Chile. HNRG’s agricultural investment group oversees approximately 400,000 acres of prime farmland in major agricultural regions of the United States and in Canada and Australia.

About Manulife Investment Management

Manulife Investment Management is the global wealth and asset management segment of Manulife Financial Corporation. We draw on more than 150 years of financial stewardship to partner with clients across our institutional, retail, and retirement businesses globally. Our specialist approach to money management includes the highly differentiated strategies of our fixed-income, specialized equity, multi-asset solutions, and private markets teams—along with access to specialized, unaffiliated asset managers from around the world through our multimanager model. Our personalized, data-driven approach to retirement is focused on delivering financial wellness in retirement plans of all sizes to help plan participants and members retire with dignity.

Headquartered in Toronto, we operate as Manulife Investment Management throughout the world, with the exception of the United States, where the retail and retirement businesses operate as John Hancock Investment Management and John Hancock, respectively; and in Asia and Canada, where the retirement business operates as Manulife. Manulife Investment Management had CAD$832 billion (US$586 billion) in assets under management and administration.* Not all offerings are available in all jurisdictions. For additional information, please visit our website at www.manulifeim.com.

 

* MFC financials in CAD. Global Wealth and Asset Management AUMA as of March 31, 2020, was $832 billion and includes $195 billion of assets managed on behalf of other segments and $139 billion of assets under administration.

                       

Media Contact                                    

Elizabeth Bartlett

Elizabeth_Bartlett@jhancock.com

+1 857 210 2286