Generation Investment Management takes equity stake in New Forests Pty

New Forests Pty, a specialist investment management and advisory services firm, has reached agreement on the sale of a minority equity position in the company to Generation Investment Management. Generation Investment Management is a London-headquartered fund management business dedicated to long term investment and integrated sustainability research. The link between the two companies will explore and create new opportunities in the burgeoning area of environmental markets.

“We’re excited to welcome Generation Investment Management and continue to build on New Forests growth,” David Brand, Managing Director of New Forests, said. “We feel that there is a strong alignment of values and culture between our firms and a common interest in seeing growth in the area of environmental and ecosystem-based markets.”

New Forests is an investment management and advisory services firm specialising in land-based business models that deliver returns from emerging environmental markets, such as carbon, biodiversity and water. The company is a leader in commercialising ecoproducts, such as sustainably produced timber, forest-based carbon credits, biodiversity conservation, wetlands banking and other emerging environmental markets.

“We see great opportunities for both ourselves and New Forests in this investment,” David Blood, Managing Partner of Generation Investment Management, said. “New Forests is creating substantial new IP and knowhow in this high growth area, and we are interested in supporting the success of this business model.” Blood will join the board of New Forests.

New Forests was created by David Brand in 2005. The company began as a Sydney-based asset management business supporting forestry investment in Australia and New Zealand. Today, New Forests supports three forestry funds focused on Australasian investments with exposure to environmental markets. US offices were opened in 2007 to facilitate the growth of a new eco products investment business in Washington, DC. In partnership with Equator Environmental of New York City, Washington-based New Forests Inc now jointly manages The Eco Products Fund, an investment platform focusing on carbon, biodiversity and other environmental market exposures primarily in the US.

In 2008 the San Francisco-based New Forests Advisory Inc was opened to support the development of an international advisory business. New Forests has worked with advisory clients from five continents in the past year and continues to provide leading edge advice enabling clients to engage with environmental markets.

The new equity will support the growth of these offices and business lines in addition to the company’s expansion into Asia. “We see tremendous opportunities for growth,” Brand said. “This new partnership will allow us to maintain our position in these emerging markets and continue to build out a global business.”

New Forests is a forestry investment management and advisory services firm currently managing over $150 million in forestry and environmental assets. The company’s investment thesis is unique in seeking assets that deliver returns from sustainable forestry, as well as returns from emerging environmental markets and preferences, such as certified timber, carbon, biodiversity and water. In addition to world-leading forestry investment expertise in the areas of acquisitions, modeling, operations, silviculture and ecosystem services, New Forests is at the forefront of evaluating opportunities and commercialising environmental products from emerging environmental markets. The company is headquartered in Sydney, Australia, with offices in Washington DC and San Francisco and holds an Australian Financial Services License. www.newforests.com.au