Andrew Skeene

As a co-founder and Director at Global Forestry Investments, Andrew Skeene has provided a stable environmentally friendly investment for clients. The company seeks deforested areas in the rainforests of Brazil and other areas of the world that would benefit from foreign investment.

Through his analytical and directional skills, Andrew Skeene helps identify potential forests and negotiates with the local owners for their sale. He handles every aspect of the deal from the initial selection and experienced negotiations on to the final contract. He continues his involvement by helping the local management teams implement sustainable forestry practices to regenerate the forest.

Background and Professional Career in Management

Born and raised in the UK, Andrew Skeene studied business and economics at London's Lambeth College and continued his studies to learn skills that would be useful in IT. As a young man, he first began in business in 1997. That was followed by a position as Director at a thriving real estate company, where he worked for three years as he developed and maintained a strong bond with both the company's suppliers and their clients.

He was responsible for hiring, training and managing a team of six workers and he helped build the company from its initial beginnings through to the point where it was achieving an annual turnover of roughly £2m. He also initiated the details of new property and made contact with potential buyers. In 2006 he became Director at a property development company. He sought out new sites, handled the valuation and began negotiations for sale with landowners. He co-ordinated meetings with the advocates on both sides and monitored meetings between architects and others involved in the construction. He also helped arrange financing and when the deal was complete he prepared sales brochures for the promotion and marketing of the development.

Current Professional Positions with Overseas Forestry Investments

Since its founding in 2008, Andrew Skeene has been deeply involved in the inner workings of Global Forestry Investments. The direction of the business is set according to his keen calculations and analytical projections as he researches and studies every possibility. He develops and implements new strategies for investment and is responsible for all of the company's extensive client services. He also heads the business development facet of the company and manages its international portfolios. He was involved in the creation of the GFI wing of the business, which resulted in him being the subject of several articles and interviews in the international media.

His investment successes included three phases of development for the Belem Sky Plantation project. He is the director at MÃOS SEGURAS, meaning ‘in safe hands', whereby he establishes the patterns for raising and promoting the sale of harvested timber. He offers advice to the property owners concerning types of trees to plant and supervises the workers and contractors in the field. He also stays abreast of all legislation or developments that would affect the project's goal of restoring the ancient woodlands of Brazil.

For More Online Information:

• Andrew Skeene- Life Story
• Andrew Skeene- Co-founder and Director