Beyond Forestry - Our people

Eran Zakut CEO

Eran possesses more than 18 years of experience in the trading and delivery of agricultural commodities and

consumer goods. In prior roles, he was responsible for establishing global commodity trading networks

incorporating farmers, manufacturers and mass market retailers. In addition, he developed private label product

lines for various leading Israeli chain stores, designing and implementing the process from raw material and

product sourcing to logistics and marketing of the final products. Eran holds an LLM degree from Bar-Ilan

University in Israel.

Amnon Ronen Director, Agricultural Operations

Amnon has more than 30 years of experience in establishing high-yield plantations worldwide. He is a leading

authority in commercial scale clone production. Amnon pioneered the development of bananas from tissue

cultures, and developed a unique forestry growth concept of intensive plantations based on advanced

technology. He has also developed high-yield energy plantations to produce biomass.

For Beyond Forestry, he is responsible for planning and managing all agricultural projects. This includes all

professional aspects such as plantation plans and irrigation systems. In addition, he oversees all infrastructure

design to include roads, fences, drainage, fertilizing, pest and weed control, along with labor force

management. Amnon studied agriculture and business management at Haifa University.

Ilan Cohen Director, Field Operations

Ilan leads all operational aspects of Beyond Forestry's business including cloned plant development and

production, equipment and materials. He is responsible for planting, silvicultural activities, harvesting and

managing the teams in the laboratories, nurseries, greenhouses and in the field. He has 30 years of experience

in establishing and managing plantations, nurseries and greenhouse projects globally. His credits include

managing projects for Dole, Chiquita and Del Monte. Ilan studied agriculture at Rupin Institute.

Dr. Alex Finkral Director, Forest Management

Alex is an assistant professor of Forest Management at Northern Arizona University's School of Forestry. In

addition, he has consulted on a variety of forestry projects in both temperate and tropical ecosystems. In his

role with Beyond Forestry, he oversees forest management activities related to teak plantation management

including silvicultural prescriptions, the growth and development of the teak stands, wood quality, log pricing,

and site selection. Alex holds a BS in natural resource management from Colorado State University, and MF and

PhD degrees in silviculture from Yale University where, for nine years, he managed the university's school

forests.

Matthew J. Haertzen, CFA Director, Portfolio Strategy

Matthew is responsible for financial analysis, the revision and refinement of any financial models, investment

selection and investor relations for Beyond Forestry. His background spans both academia and fund

management. He is a lecturer of finance at the W.A. Franke College of Business at Northern Arizona University

(NAU). He is also a consultant for Cogent Partners and portfolio manager for the Cambium Global Timberland

Fund, reviewing investment decisions. Previously, he was the CIO for the state of Idaho's endowment fund,

where he was responsible for managing $1.2 billion and performed portfolio analysis for the real asset

committee responsible for nearly $2 billion in timberland. Matt holds an MBA in finance and strategic

management from the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management, and a BA in economics and

business from the University of Minnesota, Morris. He has earned the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.

Dr. Art Selender Director, Risk Management

Art brings to Beyond Forestry a wealth of experience in portfolio allocation, fund management, hedging and

derivatives strategies. He assesses the risk and return profiles of any projects undertaken by Beyond Forestry.

In earlier positions, he played a pivotal role in the establishment of Cambium Global Timberland Fund, which

raised £108m and is publicly traded on the London AIM Exchange. Art was on the investment committee and is

responsible for foreign exchange hedging. He has also held senior positions at Goldman Sachs, McKinsey and

NatWest Bank. Art holds a PhD and MBA from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business, and BA

degrees in chemistry, mathematics, economics and history from Duke University.

Ricardo Beasou Forest Science Engineer

Ricardo has 25 years of experience in the forestry business, and is the lead forest coordinator for Beyond

Forestry's agriculture partner, Galiltec Beyond Technologies. He is responsible for the management of Galiltec

clients' forestry plantations, providing clients with technical proficiency in line with Galiltec's well-established

intensive plantation concept. He leads silvicultural practices pertaining to forestry, and is responsible

forinfluential research concerning growth rates, tree behavior, and yield interpretations. He graduated from

Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, México.

Nicholas C. Endelman Director, Business Development

Nicholas oversees all business development and investor relations for Beyond Forestry worldwide. He is the first

point of contact for potential investors and will be responsible for developing international timber sales. In a

prior role with MF Global, part of Man Group, he built and cultivated relationships with customers ranging from

institutions and funds to high net-worth individuals across multiple product lines and service requirements. This

included the construction of portable alpha overlays, hedging and risk management strategies. Nicholas holds a

BA Honours degree in accounting from Liverpool University.

Lior Ishai COO

Lior is responsible for establishing and maintaining all of Beyond Forestry's organizational infrastructure such as

computing and databases, as well as leading the organization's marketing efforts. He serves as the liaison

between Beyond Forestry and its agricultural partner, Galiltec Beyond Technologies, coordinating workflow,

processes and internal systems. In prior positions, he has managed teams in maintenance, installation and

development processes for the leading mobile carriers in Israel and for internet firms globally. Lior holds a BA in

management and communications from Tel Aviv Open University.

Meet our Partners