Indufor has extensive experience in managing large-scale, multi-year projects and programs for development cooperation agencies. Our experts draw on their specialised, technical know-how to develop and implement novel processes for managing complex projects.
Indufor provides project management services for international financing institutions and organisations, including the World Bank, IFC, European Commission, the Nordic Development Fund and the Nordic Investment Bank, African Development Bank, and bilateral donors, such as the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, the Swedish International Development Agency, and the German Technical Co-operation Agency.
Leveraging our in-house technical expertise and our network practitioners, we provide forest management services that encompass sustainability considerations at every stage of project and program cycle management, from design to implementation, as well as monitoring and evaluation of multi-year projects and short-term assignments.
Our long-term technical assistance projects include the following:
Area Experts
Jeffrey Hatcher is the Managing Director of Indufor North America, which provides sustainability and investment consulting services to public and private clients. He previously served as Director of Global Programs for the Rights and Resources Group where he led analytical projects on forest tenure policies, climate change, and investment risks. He began his career at the FAO Emergency and Land Tenure services in Sudan supporting the implementation of the land policy provisions of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and land restitution for internally displaced people. He holds an MBA with a focus on finance from INSEAD, an MA in Development Studies from the University of Pavia, and a BA in International Relations from the College of William and Mary.
Leo Eerola, Senior Consultant - Financial Management, holds a master’s degree in business economics in forestry, MSc (For), from the University of Helsinki (1987).
Leo Eerola has long experience in building financial management systems for short and long-term development and capacity-building projects; accounting procedures and guidelines, accounting software, financial control and MIS systems, donor reporting, auditing, and on-the-job training for local staff. He has country experience from several East African and South-East Asian countries and from Russia. The most significant clients have been the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, various EC Delegations, Nordic Development Fund and external auditors.
He is fluent in Finnish and English.
Ms Rivas Palma, Senior Consultant, Forestry and Climate Change, holds a PhD in Forest Environmental and Social Valuation (2008) and a Master’s degree in Forestry Science (MForSc distinction) (2000) from the University of Canterbury, New Zealand). Rosa’s expertise is in the provision of technical and policy advice on climate change issues as related to Land-Use Change and the Forestry sector. This includes greenhouse gas inventories and projections. Rosa is a qualified UNFCCC inventory expert reviewer. She has professional working experience in Asia, New Zealand, Africa and South America. Rosa is fluent in Spanish and English.
Ms Anni Blåsten, Marketing Manager/Senior Consultant, holds a Master’s degree in forest products’ marketing (MSc For) from the University of Helsinki (1990) and Specialist Qualification in Management from the Institute of Marketing (2015).
Anni has 30 years of professional experience in the forest sector, wood products industry, EU forest-related policies, institutional development, as well as tendering and implementation of technical assistance projects. She is responsible for Indufor’s general marketing and the preparation of public sector tenders. She is a communications expert, producing material for Indufor's website, social media and Newsletters. She is fluent in Finnish, English and French.
Blair Freeman, Head of Strategy and Sustainability with Indufor Asia Pacific (Australia), holds a Bachelor of Forest Science degree from the University of Melbourne and a Masters of Business Administration from the Australian Graduate School of Management.
Blair has over 20 years of experience in providing advisory services on forest policy, strategic planning, natural resource management and sustainable development, across Australia and the Asia Pacific region.
As project director and project manager, Blair has led a range of complex multi-disciplinary projects, including strategic reviews and program reviews relating to forest industry development, conservation and natural resources management. These projects have encompassed extensive stakeholder consultation and the provision of consulting advice to public and private sector clients, at executive and senior government levels.
Mr Selänniemi holds a master's degree (MSc) in forestry from the University of Helsinki (1997) and a bachelor's degree (BSc) in forestry from Tammisaari School of Forestry (1981). He has been working in commercial forestry in Finland and in international development cooperation assignments for over 30 years. He has a solid background in institutional development and smallholder/community forestry, especially in Africa. He also has a deep understanding of project cycle management, and has led several project planning missions and managed a number of long-term technical assistance projects in forestry. He is fluent in Swedish, Finnish and English.