Past Opportunities with Omari Bowers
Omari Bowers co-founded Global Forestry, a company that he established along with business partner Andrew Skeene in 2008. Both Bowers and Skeene come from a successful entrepreneurial background in real estate development, and during the credit crunch they made the decision to leave the UK property market in search of more stable and more ethical investment opportunities. After an extensive six-month research period exploring opportunities in emerging markets, the pair settled on reforestation projects in north-east Brazil with a focus on teak plantations. Global Forestry began with the acquisition of a 1,000 hectare plot of land for the purpose of planting teak trees. Eventually, the company boasted three extensive plantations and attracted a growing number of both private and institutional clients seeking a way to diversify their investment portfolios and promote green projects.
The career of Omari Bowers began after his graduation from the University of North London, at which time he started work at JP Morgan. The financial world proved to be just a stepping stone for Bowers, who developed a passion for property development. Buying properties, renovating them and selling them at a profit proved so rewarding that Bowers left JP Morgan to found his own real estate development company. During this period, he met and formed a strong personal and professional relationship with Andrew Skeene, also a real estate developer. During the credit crunch, as the London housing market was losing value and unlikely to recover quickly, the two entrepreneurs began to explore other options.
Global Forestry was founded after an extensive research period during which Omari travelled to various emerging markets exploring ethical investment opportunities. The combined ideals of Global Forestry were to guide global investors towards stable long-term investment opportunities while at the same time give back both to the environment and the local community. Global Forestry planted plots of teak trees that were managed by local skilled agricultural workers, creating employment in poor areas of the world. Global Forestry’s workers and their families were also able to reside in affordable housing constructed by the company and also had access to education for their children. Bowers and Skeene held true to their ethical and green values, using a share of the profits of Global Forestry to provide this housing and schooling.