BOSTON, Aug. 19, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Brett MacNeil has been named Vice President and Director of Acquisitions for the Hancock Agricultural Investment Group (HAIG), the company said today.

Mr. MacNeil, whose appointment is effective immediately, will be based in Boise, Idaho and will report to HAIG President Oliver Williams. He will be responsible for leading HAIG's farmland acquisition program, including sourcing, due diligence and strategic partnership opportunities in the U.S. and internationally.

In this role, he will work closely with Mike Rivard, Chief Acquisition Officer for the Hancock Natural Resource Group, HAIG's parent company as well as with HAIG acquisitions managers in regional offices and with members of Hancock Farmland Services, HAIG's property manager.

"As we continue to grow our business, we are very pleased to have Brett join us," Mr. Williams said. "He brings a wealth of agricultural experience with more than 20 years in the agribusiness industry focused on farmland management and acquisitions."

Before joining HAIG, Mr. MacNeil ran Scythe & Spade Company providing a full array of farm management and real estate services, ranging from basic property management to comprehensive operations and business management. Before that, he had worked at Southwest Agribusiness Services, Inc. and Farm Credit Services Southwest. He graduated from the University of Arizona with B.S. in General Agriculture and later earned an MBA from the Keller Graduate School of Management.

About the Hancock Agricultural Investment Group
The Hancock Agricultural Investment Group, founded in 1990, is a division of Hancock Natural Resource Group, Inc., a unit of Manulife Asset Management Private Markets. Based in Boston, it manages approximately 300,000 acres of row and permanent cropland in the United States, Canada and Australia on behalf of institutional investors. Additional information about HAIG may be found at www.haig.com.

About Manulife Asset Management Private Markets
Manulife Asset Management Private Markets has investment expertise in several private asset classes, including commercial real estate, timberland and farmland, renewable energy, oil and gas, private equity and mezzanine debt. Manulife Asset Management Private Markets also partners with Manulife's specialized private asset investment teams to invest in private placement debt and commercial mortgages. Hancock Natural Resources Group, Manulife Real Estate, John Hancock Real Estate, NAL Resources, Regional Power, Manulife Capital, and Hancock Capital Management are units of Manulife Asset Management Private Markets. As at June 30, 2014, Manulife's assets under management in private asset classes were C$75 billion (US$70 billion), including assets managed by and for Manulife's general fund and external clients. Additional information may be found at ManulifeAM.com/PrivateMarkets. Manulife Asset Management is the global asset management arm of Manulife, providing comprehensive asset management solutions for institutional investors and investment funds in key markets around the world. This investment expertise extends across a broad range of public and private asset classes, as well as asset allocation solutions. As at June 30, 2014, assets under management for Manulife Asset Management were approximately C$300 billion (US$281 billion). Additional information about Manulife Asset Management may be found at ManulifeAM.com.

About Manulife Financial
Manulife Financial is a leading Canada-based financial services group with principal operations in Asia, Canada and the United States. Clients look to Manulife for strong, reliable, trustworthy and forward-thinking solutions for their most significant financial decisions. Our international network of employees, agents and distribution partners offers financial protection and wealth management products and services to millions of clients. We also provide asset management services to institutional customers. Funds under management by Manulife Financial and its subsidiaries were approximately C$637.3 billion (US$596.9 billion) as at June 30, 2014. The Company operates as Manulife Financial in Canada and Asia and primarily as John Hancock in the United States. Manulife Financial Corporation trades as 'MFC' on the TSX, NYSE and PSE, and under '945' on the SEHK. Manulife Financial can be found on the Internet at manulife.com.

SOURCE Hancock Agricultural Investment Group