UHY alumni Paul Sherman; from UHY junior to C-Suite leader
At UHY, we know that our people are our difference. Our commitment to fostering growth and helping our teams prosper has led to many enjoying long and successful careers at UHY. For others, their time at UHY may be shorter, but we don’t lose interest just because someone moves on.
In this case study, we shine the spotlight on UHY alumni, Paul Sherman. Paul began his career journey in our London office in 1983 and has since achieved remarkable success as a business leader in some of the largest corporations in the United States.
Paul began his career at 19 years old, when he joined our London office as an audit junior after a one-year accounting diploma. As the youngest of 13 new UHY recruits, Paul qualified as a Chartered Accountant when he was just 21 years old, an early indication of his appetite for success.
He recalls how his exposure to a diverse range of clients and industries during his time at UHY provided him with a diverse skill set that set the building blocks for the future. Paul says: “I worked on a range of clients in vastly different industries and spent my last year at UHY working on acquisitions and stock exchange flotations.
My experience was varied, and the responsibility given to me was invaluable. Indeed, whenever I attended training
at the time, I found that my experience was far broader than those attending from the biggest firms.”
After his time at UHY, Paul’s career trajectory led him across continents and industries. In 1989, he moved to the United States “without a job, place to live or knowing a soul, just the goal to work hard, build a career and enjoy life in South Florida”. Paul’s gamble paid off and through his dedication to personal prosperity and professional growth, he embarked on a journey of significant leadership roles in private, public, and private equity owned companies.
Notably, he spent a decade at Burger King Corporation,
serving in nine roles of increasing responsibility, including as Chief Financial Officer for the company-owned restaurants and Vice President, Operations Excellence. He then spent seven years at LNR Property Corporation (now Starwood Property Trust), a multi-billion dollar commercial real estate business that invests in properties, mortgage loans and mortgage-backed securities. In 2010, Paul joined ABB Optical Group, the largest distributor of contact lenses in the US. Initially serving as Chief Financial Officer, and later Chief Development Officer, under Paul’s guidance the company flourished and revenue grew from $300 million to $1.5 billion.
Paul excels at facilitating growth and his success has been recognised by various accolades over the years, including winning South Florida Business Journal’s 2011 CFO Award for the large private company category and being a finalist in 2016.
He co-founded consultancy firm ShermanSamuels to help companies operate efficiently, leverage data to drive profitable revenue, reduce risk and generate significant value. Today, drawing on years of knowledge and expertise, Paul and his team help clients optimise their growth journey. Fostering an approach that is intentionally different from traditional corporate consultants, Paul has already helped many leaders “connect the dots and grow with purpose”. He says: “I have great passion for holistically understanding businesses, securing growth opportunities, removing obstacles, and inspiring and developing talent. I truly enjoy removing the ‘buts’, which reduce value, and turning them into ‘ands’, which enhance multiples of value.”
Making growth and prosperity possible
Paul’s journey exemplifies the profound impact a strong foundation, unquestionable integrity, unwavering work ethic and a prosperity-oriented mindset can have. From laying the foundations for continuous learning during his time at UHY to rising through the ranks in international leadership roles, Paul’s diverse experiences and dedication to growth and prosperity have made him a much sought-after business leader.
Of his time at UHY, Paul says: “Howard Spencer was an important mentor and we remained friends over the years. I have always appreciated my foundation at UHY Hacker Young, which taught me never to be outworked, the importance of having fun, and set the tone for applying my skill sets in varying industries. As a result, I have always placed greater importance on a person’s attitude, infectious enthusiasm, insatiable curiosity, desire to learn and willingness to work hard, than on their degrees and qualifications or the university they attended.”
“UHY Hacker Young showed me that success is only generated by giving well-deserving people the responsibility, opportunity and exposure; focusing on their growth, challenging them to raise the bar, celebrating their successes and rewarding them.”
“Most memorable about my experience at UHY Hacker Young was the camaraderie with my fellow recruits, as well as with people junior and senior to me. I enjoyed working at clients, but cherished the days in the office after we hadn’t seen each other for weeks. I was, and have always been, proud to tell people that I began my career at UHY Hacker Young.”
Likewise, we are very proud to call Paul an alumnus of UHY. To read more about Paul’s work at ShermanSamuels, please visit www.shermansamuels.com.
