New Forests Pty : appoints Mark Rogers as Managing Director of its Australia-New Zealand Business

SYDNEY, 20 January 2016 - Sydney-based investment manager New Forests has appointed Mark Rogers as Managing Director for Australia-New Zealand. Mark will be the senior executive responsible for the company's investment activities in the region, including oversight of acquisitions as well as management of existing investments in operating companies and forestry assets located across Australia and New Zealand. He will lead three teams dedicated to new investments, portfolio management, and investment analytics with staff located in Sydney, Melbourne, and New Zealand.

Mark brings more than 18 years of experience in infrastructure, natural resources, and energy. For the last nine years, he has been an investment executive with Colonial First State Asset Management, most recently as Director of Direct Infrastructure and was previously involved in large-scale infrastructure project developments with Origin Energy.

'We're pleased to welcome Mark to New Forests and confident that he will bring additional executive management capacity to our growing business in Australia and New Zealand. With almost $2.5 billion of assets under management in this region, there is a growing requirement for us to work closely with our clients to develop longer term strategies and investment opportunities. Mark will be central to that work,' commented New Forests' CEO, David Brand.

Mark will have oversight of all new investments and will be responsible for continuing to drive value creation across New Forests' funds in Australia and New Zealand. He will also be a member of New Forests' Investment Committee, Executive Committee, and regional Management Committee for Australia and New Zealand.

'New Forests has established a strong presence as an investment leader in the forest sectors of both Australia and New Zealand,' said Mark. 'My aim is to continue to foster innovation and operational excellence that will set New Forests apart as a manager of choice in the growing real assets investment market in the region.'

New Forests is the only timberland investment manager headquartered in the Asia-Pacific region. Since closing its first fund in 2010, New Forests has played an important role in the transition of the Australian forest sector from government and MIS ownership to more long-term, stable ownership by institutional investors. The company has also made several investments in the North Island and South Island of New Zealand.

'As the institutional investment market for forestry assets in the region matures, the challenge is to evolve our business to continue to provide both new investment opportunities as well as add value to our existing assets,' said Brand. 'Mark's infrastructure and business operating experience will complement our team's demonstrated timberland investment expertise and track record, allowing us to continue to deliver great returns to our clients and benefits to the communities where we operate.'