MARK D. MCHUGH

PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, RAYONIER, WILDLIGHT

With about 420 employees, Rayonier (NYSE: RYN) is a leading timberland real estate investment trust with about 2.7 million acres located in some of the most productive softwood timber growing regions in the U.S. and New Zealand. Rayonier also engages in real estate development in select areas and provides land-based decarbonization solutions to support the low-carbon economy transition. McHugh joined Rayonier as CFO in 2014, was appointed president in 2023 and became CEO in 2024.

EDUCATION: University of Central Florida (BS, BA),
Harvard Law School (JD)

FIRST JOB: Investment banking. After graduating from law school, I joined Credit Suisse in New York City as an associate in the Mergers & Acquisition Group. My first experience in the forestry sector was advising Rayonier on its conversion from a C-corp to a REIT in 2003. I never would have thought at the time that I would eventually become CEO of the company.

DREAM ALTERNATE CAREER: I’ve always had a passion for music, so I would have loved to do something within the music industry.

SOMETHING SURPRISING: My family has four small dogs — two Chihuahuas, a dachshund/Chihuahua mix and a mini-Australian shepherd. They pretty much run the house.

HOBBY: Outside of work, my main hobby/passion is playing acoustic guitar.

NONPROFIT PASSION: When I was 16 years old, I lost my 3-year-old sister to leukemia, so I have a passion for pediatric cancer philanthropy. I serve on the board of the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation (NPCF), which is a top-rated nonprofit organization dedicated to funding and developing research and clinical trials to find less toxic and more effective treatments for childhood cancer. This is a fantastic organization that I’m very proud to be part of.