DECEMBER 22, 2015, Vancouver, British Columbia: NatureBank Asset Management Inc. (the “Company”) (TSX-V: COO, Frankfurt:9EA) is pleased to announce the appointment of Harry Assenmacher, CEO and founder of Forest Finance Service GmbH (“Forest Finance”) as Chairman of the Board, and Eduard Weber-Bemnet as Director.
Mr. Assenmacher assumes the Chairman role from Alexander Zang, who has served as Chairman of the Board of the Company since November 2014. Mr. Zang continues to serve as a Director of the Company. Also joining the Board of Directors is Eduard Weber-Bemnet, who replaces outgoing Director Georg Shattney from Forest Carbon Group AG.
Mr. Assenmacher is the founder and CEO of Forest Finance, a leading developer of sustainable agro-forestry projects worldwide. Forest Finance is a significant shareholder of NatureBank following NatureBank’s acquisition of Forest Finest Consulting GmbH, a once wholly owned subsidiary of Forest Finance. The Forest Finance group is the leading forest direct investment provider in Europe covering over 16,000 hectares of forest and agro-forest area, investments amounting to roughly 100 million USD, more than 15,000 customers, and more than 20 years of experience in the development of ecological forest and agro-forestry investments. Forest Finance offers innovative programs such as CacaoInvest, GreenAcacia and WoodstockInvest to investors throughout Germany. Forest Finance has planted ecologically mixed forests in Panama beginning in the 1990’s, and has expanded development to Colombia, Peru and Vietnam, converting the value of these certified and sustainably managed forests into economic and ecological investment products.
Mr. Weber-Bemnet co-founded Business Communications Consulting GmbH (“BCC”) with Alexander Zang in 2003, and currently holds the role of Managing Director of BCC. He has spent his professional life in communications consulting. Mr. Weber-Bemnet studied philosophy, media management and German literature, earning a Master’s degree from the Wilhelms University in Muenster, Germany. He began his career as a journalist, but transitioned to communications strategy in the following years. He has worked with both German and North American PR companies in national and international management positions serving clients worldwide. BCC has a roster of large and medium sized clients, focusing on sustainability management, change management, public affairs and public relations. Over the course of his career, he has been involved in a number of special interest projects and associated with companies involved in positive, sustainable development work. Mr. Weber-Bemnet resides in Frankfurt, Germany.
“On behalf of the Company and our shareholders, I’d like to welcome Mr. Harry Assenmacher to our Board as Chairman, and thank Mr. Alexander Zang for his astute leadership as Chairman of the Board for the last year,” commented Dr. James Tansey, CEO of NatureBank. “I’d also like to welcome our newest Director, Mr. Eduard Weber-Bemnet, and share our gratitude and appreciation to Mr. Georg Shattney, our outgoing Director, for his years of excellent service to the company. We wish him the very best in his future endeavours.”
For more information on Forest Finance, please visit: https://www.forestfinance.de/en/home/ and for more information on BCC, please visit:www.bcc-ffm.de.
James Tansey, Ph.D.
President and CEO
NatureBank Asset Management Inc.
About NatureBank Asset Management Inc.
NatureBank is an internationally diversified carbon management and agroforestry solutions company. With offices in Vancouver, British Columbia and Portland Oregon, Bonn Germany and satellite offices in Panama and Vietnam, its team of industry leaders specialize in the origination, development and commercialization of high-quality agroforestry and carbon offset projects, in addition to offering a comprehensive suite of sustainability consultancy services. Through NatureBank advisory services group Offsetters and German based CO2OL, the company helps organizations understand, reduce and offset their climate impact. NatureBank has worked with over 200 leading business organizations including Aimia, Vancity, lululemon athletica, Catalyst Paper, Harbour Air, HSE – Entega, and Shell Canada Limited. NatureBank is publicly listed company on the Toronto Venture Exchange (TSX-V:COO) and in Frankfurt:9EA. For more information, please visit us at www.NatureBank.com.
For further information, please contact:
David Rokoss
NatureBank Asset Management Inc.
Suite 1000 – 675 West Hastings Street,
Vancouver BC, V6B 1M8
Telephone: 778-945-0951
Email: david.rokoss@NatureBank.com
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS AND RISKS:
Certain of the statements and information in this news release may constitute “forward-looking information” within the meaning of applicable Canadian provincial securities laws. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements. When used in this news release the words “anticipate”, “believes”, “estimates”, “expects”, “intends”, “may”, “project”, “plan”, “should” , “forecast”, “outlook”, “budget”, “anticipated”, “future”, “potential” and similar words and expressions may identify forward-looking statements or information.
The statements in this news release reflect the Company’s current views with respect to future events and are necessarily based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the Company, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies. Many factors, known and unknown, could cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from results, performance or achievements anticipated by management. The Company’s ability to continue as a going concern is dependent upon its ability to maintain profitable operations and/or obtain the necessary financing to repay liabilities and obligations arising from normal business operations and to meet contractual liabilities related to the acquisition of Offsetters and CCC when they come due. The Company has been profitable in the past but has not achieved sustained, long term profitable operations and may require additional working capital and may seek additional financing through equity or debt and/or increased sales revenue and cash flows in order to remain a going concern. There is material uncertainty related to the Company’s ability to secure necessary financing or generate additional sales revenue and cash flows in the amounts required. The Company could be adversely affected by risks and uncertainties as disclosed in the Company’s most recent MD&A filing and financial statements as filed at www.sedar.com.
The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements or information to reflect changes in assumptions or changes in circumstances or any other events affecting such statements or information other than as required by applicable securities or other laws.
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