Josh Sherman
Partner
Industry Sectors
Principle Areas of Practice
- Technical Research
- Financial Planning & Analysis
- SEC Reporting
- Financial Due Diligence
- Contract, Financial Instrument & Derivative Reviews
Professional Experience
Josh is the Partner in charge of the Complex Financial Reporting group of Opportune LLP, including oversight of the firm’s Denver office. Josh has 25 years of experience in providing clients with technical research, capital markets and SEC reporting assistance. Josh and his team of over 20 professionals have led all financial statement and disclosure aspects of the Capital Markets process for dozens of IPOs, reverse mergers (de-SPAC transactions), and debt and equity private placements across multiple industries and all energy sectors. In addition, his team assists over 100 clients annually with researching, concluding, and reporting for the most complex transactions affecting their businesses. Prior to joining Opportune, Josh worked in the audit and global energy markets department with Deloitte & Touche, where he managed the audits of regulated gas and electric utilities, independent power producers, and energy trading entities.
Josh currently serves as an Independent Director of U.S. Energy Development Corporation, a private direct investment upstream operating company located in Arlington, Texas. In addition, Josh currently serves as Treasurer on the Board of Directors for Houston Producers Forum. He has previously served on the Board of Directors as Audit Committee Chairman of JP Energy (MLP), Trans Energy, and Voyager Oil & Gas. Specifically, as the Lead Independent Director of Trans Energy, Josh initiated and led the company’s successful restructuring and ultimate sale to EQT – a transaction recognized by the M&A Advisor as a winner for the 2017 M&A Deal of the Year ($100MM-$200MM).
Outside of Opportune, Josh has been involved in several community and school activities. Josh currently serves on his alma mater’s Executive Committee of the KBH Energy Center for Business, Law and Policy at the University of Texas at Austin and, the Executive Leadership Team (former Co-Chair) of the American Heart Association’s Paul “Bear” Bryant Award honoring college football’s Coach of the Year. Josh is also a past Advisory Committee member of the AICPA/PDI Oil & Gas Conference and Board Member and Audit Chair of the Literacy Council of Fort Bend County.
Representative Projects
- Leads all aspects of clients’ Capital Markets processes, including identifying and resolving SEC reporting issues; drafting the Registration or Proxy Statement; managing the audit timeline; and drafting SEC pre-clearance letters, pro forma financial statements, and responses to SEC comment letters.
- Leads technical consultations on the most complex transactions for Opportune’s clients, in which the firm serves as a liaison and advocate for its clients when working with their Board, external auditor or the SEC.
- Leads quality of earnings, working capital and other financial due diligence efforts in support of both buy-side and sell-side acquisitions across multiple industries.
- Leads in-depth analyses of client’s operating expenses and overhead cost infrastructure to assist management teams, Boards, equity sponsors and/or bondholders in achieving additional liquidity by generating operating free cash flow. Josh and his team coordinate with the Partners of the firm’s service lines to provide solutions addressing technology, engineering, field operations and logistics, accounting, treasury, and internal/external financial reporting.
- Advisor to clients in all industries on the design of personnel organization structure, including the number, function, and cash/incentive compensation structure of employees. These engagements utilize Opportune’s understanding of the client’s business, financial results, target projections and peer group to provide an analysis and recommendations that prove deeper than industry or general market survey results.
- Technical advisor to Opportune’s oil and gas back-office outsourcing clients (client base exceeding 200 entities) on best practices related to the record keeping, valuation, and disclosure of their activities, which include operated and non-operated working interests, royalty and profit interests, and private equity/joint venture investments.
- Previously served as interim Chief Accounting Officer for Memorial Production Partners LP (now Amplify) and Southern Union (now a subsidiary of Energy Transfer).