Passed event: Forest Investments as a Financial Asset Class, 23.3.2023
Members and candidates event
date & time & location
23/03/2023 8:15-10:00 am EET Lapland Hotels Bulevardi
Forests are a traditional source of raw materials and income for Finnish people. There is an increasing interest both from Finnish and foreign investors to forest investments, because they offer stable returns and other benefits to investors such as inflation protection and diversification from more traditional asset classes such as stocks and bonds.
We will organize a panel discussion with several speakers around the theme on 23rd March at Lapland Hotels Bulevardi.
The panelists will discuss a range of topics around the central theme. Topics include, among others:
Sources of income and value appreciation of forest investments
Demand for woodland investments both from local and foreign investors
Renewable energy and forest investments
Trends and changes in market dynamics
speakers
Mr. Juha Hakkarainen, is the Managing Director of Finsilva Plc. Finsilva is one of the largest independent forest owners in Northern Europe holding more than 130,000 hectares of well-managed PEFC® and FSC® certified Finnish forests mainly in Southern and Central Finland. Finsilva is the fourth largest forest owner in Finland. Before Finsilva, Hakkarainen worked as the Forest Director of the Central Union of Agricultural Producers and Forest Owners (MTK), and as the Deputy Director and the Managing Director of the Pension Fund Verso. Pension Fund Verso is a pension fund of private forestry organisations in Finland. Between 1997 and 2005, Hakkarainen worked as the Forest Economist and as the Research Manager at MTK. In addition, Hakkarainen has also served as a board and council member in various companies and councils.
Mr. Otto Heiskanen, Chief Operating Officer, Conifer Consulting, has worked in the financial sector in investment and capital markets since the turn of the millennium, specializing in alternative asset classes. Heiskanen is a partner in Conifer Consulting Oy and Aari Forest Oy, responsible for some of the institutional clients and the new Aari joint forest concept. Previously, he has been in charge at SEB Helsinki, e.g. about alternative investment products and fund distribution. He was one of the founders of Evli Bank's Alternative Investments unit. While working at Kuntarahoitus Oyj in international fundraising, Heiskanen created the first Impact and Green Bond financial instruments. Heiskanen is an enthusiastic nature person, hunter and forest owner in several generations.
Mr. Kari Kangas, Fund Manager, UB Timberland Fund.
Mr. Esa-Jussi Viitala, Senior Researcher, Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke).
Our president, Mr. Toni Iivonen, CFA will be moderating the discussion.