About Us
GlenSilva GmbH advises, implements, and manages forestry and agriculture investments. We also develop tailored climate compensation models with our clients for their international forestry investments. Our expertise and extensive experience in planning and operating wind power, solar and biogas installations completes our portfolio of services.
GlenSilva GmbH is affiliated with the Graf von Westphalen Group which has 700 years of experience successfully managing forestry and agricultural operations.
We think in generational timeframes because sustainability is the foundation of our business.
Expertise
The circumstances and challenges of the global market are constantly changing, requiring long-term and future-oriented strategies. These strategies and projects are tailored to individual investment requirements and implemented internationally.
Our expertise in forestry and agriculture, together with our finance and capital markets experience, provide the basis for our successful involvement in the European, New Zealand and American timberland markets.
We have extensive knowledge and expertise consulting on greenhouse gas compensation strategies on forestry investment in the context of possible and existing carbon certification or trading schemes.
Forestry
Forests absorb carbon dioxide and positively affect the global carbon cycle, making forestry critically important in the protection of the earth’s climate. As an investment, forestry and forestland is an attractive long-term sustainable asset class delivering reliable returns. Our international forestry investments have the appropriate project planning, implementation, and management in place to ensure long-term success.
Agriculture
For our international agricultural investments, we provide farm administration services, often in cooperation with our local partners. GlenSilva is focused on good stewardship of the land in accordance with environmental and animal welfare best practice and utilizing best-in-class technology. Farms are operated predominantly by local teams, supporting the local economy. This ensures our farms maintain their regional identity, create livelihoods for families and protect the environment and ecological habitats.
Climate Protection
We monitor the changing environment and continuously develop climate protection strategies to suit. We increasingly support industrial and technology companies responding to the challenges posed by greenhouse gas emissions and are designing compensation models to accomplish effective climate protection.
Renewable Energies
Nature offers us a range of opportunities to generate energy in a sustainable and environmentally friendly manner. We have explored various energy sources and developed innovative solutions for our own energy supply. We use photovoltaic, hydroelectric, biogas and wind power stations, fuels from renewable resources and woodchip heating systems, to produce energy, electricity, and heat. We offer this valuable knowledge and project experience to other companies enabling them to produce their own renewable energy.
Strategy
Our investments are designed to achieve a balance between economic and ecological outcomes. Through sustainable green investments, we ensure long-term value preservation and growth while generating a positive contribution to climate protection.
Sustainability, professional and ethical standards are paramount in the management of our land, forests and operations.
Our reporting offers maximum transparency for our customers whether they are based locally or worldwide.
We typically co-invest with clients in accordance with our corporate principles and our own investment strategies.
The Maori people, indigenous to New Zealand, use the word “Kaitiaki” to summarise the responsibility and guardianship of the sky, the sea, and the land. Kaitiaki aligns with our views on the preservation and protection of the environment.
Locations
We apply stringent standards to the locations of our investments. Our farm and forest managers are permanently present and provide us with real-time information with their boots on the ground. We also look for optimal climate conditions, political stability and security and enforceability of the property rights. The infrastructure and proximity to robust markets is critical to ensure the investment provides suitable economic returns.
Contact
Our team and their experience is shown below.
GlenSilva GmbH | Laer 3, 59872 Meschede, Germany | Tel.: +49 (0) 291 95286 – 82 | E-Mail: info@glen-silva.com
Team GlenSilva GmbH
Matthias Graf von Westphalen
Matthias owns and runs the Westphalen Family Estate in Germany and manages family investments in forest and farming assets in New Zealand and North America. He is a founding partner of GlenSilva GmbH, a member of the Advisory Boards of the Craigmore Farming Partnership and the Craigmore Dairy II Partnership (NZ), the Investment Committee of Kauri Forestry LP (NZ) and the Investment Committee of Adohi-Partners (USA). Previously, Matthias worked as an investment manager, including for sustainable investments at LGT Bank (Frankfurt), and was CEO of the investment management company of German insurer Alte Leipziger.
Josef Nägel
Joe is a founding partner of GlenSilva GmbH, an investment advisor to institutional clients, including family offices, on timberland, biomass plantations and farmland investments. He is member of the Investment Committee of the Adohi Forest Partnership (USA) and Kauri Forestry LP (NZ). Prior to that, Joe has worked in global capital markets for more than 30 years, including at Deutsche Bank (Frankfurt/London) and Deutsche Börse. Joe has family roots in agriculture and forestry.
Dr. Harm tho Seeth
Harm is member of the Management Board of GlenSilva GmbH and Head of Central Administration of the Westphalen Group. Coming from an agricultural business, the apprentice farmer worked as a management consultant after studying agricultural science and completing his doctorate in Kiel. He is also a member of the advisory board and works as a consultant in various agricultural and forestry companies and cooperations in Germany and abroad.
August Graf von Westphalen
August is team member of GlenSilva GmbH and the next generation of the Westphalen Estate. Since he completed his Master’s Degree in Management and Corporate Finance at the Católica Lisbon School of Business and Economics, he supports the team in numerous research topics and portfolio management, with a specific focus on the renewable energy sector. At present, August is also working as an Investment Analyst at Blue Elephant Energy GmbH, a developer, acquirer and operator of solar and wind parks based in Hamburg.
Dr. Johannes Gerst
Head of Forestry of the Graf von Westphalen estate and team member of GlenSilva GmbH. After studying forestry and obtaining a PhD in forestry business management, Johannes worked in various forestry operations. Since 2020, he has been the Head of Graf von Westphalen’s forestry businesses. In addition, he is heading the forest property management of third-party clients.
Strategic Partner in the U.S.A
Jon P. Caulfield, Ph.D.
Jon is partner of Adohi Partners, the US subsidiary of GlenSilva GmbH. He is a Hargreaves Distinguished Professor of Forest Finance, University of Georgia and has held senior research positions at major timberland investment management firms including Director of Research for BTG Pactual Timberland Group and RMK Timberland Group, Vice President, Research and Investment Strategy for TimberVest and Senior Forest Economist at Wachovia Bank. At Adohi Partners, Jon’s roles include macroeconomic analysis, acquisition inspection and modeling and underwriting.
Brian Rubins, CFA
Brian is partner of Adohi Partners, the US subsidiary of GlenSilva GmbH. As a former forest investment manager at Wells Fargo’s Corporate Real Estate, Brian has more than 20 years of experience with timberland as an asset class, originating and executing highly structured transactions with corporate and institutional clients. At Adohi Partners, Brian’s roles include acquisition origination, transaction underwriting, negotiation and closing, reporting oversight and management of forest service providers.
Glenn Dunaway
Glenn is a Special Advisor at Polsinelli and has extensive experience handling complex timberland transactions, including the tax aspects of those transactions. Throughout his career he has focused on cross-border investment transactions in timberland, commercial real estate and private equity, including inbound and outbound investments. He often represents non-US clients assembling and operating timberland portfolios in the US and abroad, and he has transactional experience in most of the major timberland investment jurisdictions in South America and Europe.
Since 2018 his practice has emphasized the ecological aspects of timberland ownership, including renewable energy, wetlands mitigation banking and especially the development and execution of carbon offset projects for large landowners.
Strategic Partner in New Zealand
Che Charteris
Che Charteris is CEO of the Craigmore Group, the local GlenSilva GmbH partner in New Zealand. Che originally joined Craigmore to build their first partnership – the Forestry Fund. Before Craigmore, Che was with the New Zealand Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry where he focused on trade relations and agricultural cooperation; managing New Zealand’s programme of agricultural cooperation with trading partners. Che also chairs the investment board of one of New Zealand’s largest indigenous people’s trusts, which specialises in real assets (energy, farming) and tourism.
John Barker
John is the Forestry General Manager for the Craigmore Group. Prior to joining Craigmore in February 2021, John was with Timberlands, the biggest forestry company in Aotearoa, for two years and prior to that spent 13 years with international investment manager The Rohatyn Group (formerly GMO Renewable Resources). Over that period John was responsible for managing pine and eucalypt investments in New Zealand and sandalwood plantations in Australia. He is responsible for the valuation and acquisition of forest land, reporting and in cooperation with GlenSilva GmbH – investment management. John lives in Rotorua, the forestry capital of New Zealand.
Erin Jeffrey
Forest Investment Manager for the Craigmore Group, based in Rotorua. Prior to joining Craigmore in June 2022, Erin has spent a considerable part of her career in the forestry consultancy team at PF Olsen.
She started her career as an Operations Manager (silviculture) for a large corporate in the Central North Island. Erin moved to PF Olsen initially as a Forest Manager managing properties with a mixed farming and forestry land use, before moving into the consulting team where she has worked for the past 12 years. She brings a wealth of knowledge regarding the NZ Emissions Trading Scheme, forest valuations, investment analysis, and due diligence of forest and bareland acquisitions. Erin is a Registered Member of the New Zealand Institute of Forestry and a member of their valuation working group.
Forestry Service Provider USA & New Zealand
On site, our areas are managed safely and reliably by service providers with whom we have been working successfully for many years:
Company Group
GlenSilva GmbH | Laer 3, 59872 Meschede, Germany | Phone: +49 (0) 291 95286-82
Email: info@glen-silva.com | Imprint | Privacy