BOSTON, February 3, 2003 -- Dan Christensen has been named President & Chief Operating Officer of Hancock Natural Resource Group, Inc., and a member of the HNRG Board of Directors, Chief Executive Officer Deborah McAneny announced today.

HNRG consists of two operations, the Hancock Timber Resource Group and the Hancock Agricultural Investment Group, both of which provide investment management services to institutional investors.

Mr. Christensen will take over day-to-day management of Hancock Timber and report directly to Ms. McAneny. Jeff Conrad, Managing Director of HAIG, will continue responsibility for the farmland investment division and also will report directly to Ms. McAneny.

"Dan brings 26 years of forestry and investment experience to our group and has served in a variety of positions with the Hancock Timber Resource Group over the past 11 years," said Ms. McAneny. "His experience and leadership will serve HNRG well as it moves forward and refines its business focus to continue to serve its clients in a challenging environment."

Prior to taking on this new role, he was Senior Vice President and Managing Director of Global Operations. He had been responsible for directing acquisitions, asset management and property management functions for the Hancock Timber Resource Group. He also was responsible for the oversight and development of the firm's global carbon program.

He will remain chairman of Hancock Victorian Plantations, HNRG's Australian operation, and as chairman and CEO of Hancock Forest Management, HNRG's timber property management subsidiary.

HTRG, the world's largest manager of timberland investments for institutions, is the fifth largest timberland owner in the United States. The firm oversees 3 million acres, worth $2.7 billion, in the Pacific Northwest, the Southeast and the Northeast United States; Victoria, Australia; and British Columbia, Canada.

Before joining HTRG in 1992, Mr. Christensen was vice president and general manager of Diamond Occidental Forest Inc. (formerly Diamond International Corporation, Northeast Timberlands-Old Town, Maine).

Mr. Christensen graduated from the University of Maine with a B.S. in Forest Engineering.

The Hancock Natural Resource Group is a wholly owned subsidiary of John Hancock Financial Services, Inc. (NYSE: JHF). Hancock and its affiliated companies, including John Hancock Life Insurance Company, provide a broad array of insurance and investment products and services to retail and institutional customers.