Robert Hagler
Robert Hagler is Principal at ForestEdge, an investment advisory firm specializing in forestland and nature-based solutions. Established in 2017, ForestEdge provides acquisition due diligence, investment strategy advisory, and independent board representation to investors in the sector.
Over the course of his career, Robert has led acquisition, sustainable management, and investor relations efforts on more than US$700 million in timberland investments across North and South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. His experience spans most commercial forest types, biomass energy plantations in Europe, and carbon sequestration projects in the US.
Robert brings on-the-ground experience in more than 65 countries, with expertise in natural resource economics, forestland investment platforms, sustainable forest management, market analysis, governance frameworks, and investor-reporting protocols. He has served in senior portfolio management and investment strategy roles for globally oriented timberland investment vehicles and has extensive experience in investor relations and fundraising.
From 2019 to 2024, Robert served as Associate Director of Investor Relations at New Forests, where he helped rebuild capital-raising efforts for US carbon forestry strategies. He later held hybrid responsibilities spanning client services, board membership for fund-related management entities, and portfolio and asset management for the Forest Climate Solutions Fund.
Earlier in his career, Robert held various senior leadership roles, including International Portfolio Manager and Head of Investment Strategy at BTG Pactual and the Regions Timberland Group, where he managed globally diversified sustainable timberland portfolios and helped develop new domestic and international investment vehicles. He also served as Vice President and Director of International Investment Strategy and Economic Research at Hancock Natural Resource Group, International Portfolio Manager at Prudential Timber Investments, and President and founder of Wood Resources International.
Robert holds an MBA with honors from Pennsylvania State University, with a concentration in Environmental Planning, and a BS in Forest Resource Management from Virginia Tech, where he was a member of the Forestry Honor Society.