Our Team

Jim Hughes, CPA, CFE, has over 20 years of financial services and management consulting experience, largely serving companies ranging from $50 million to $1.5 billion. As Controller and Finance Manager for more than ten years, his responsibilities included oversight of all financial and control functions and cash flow management and analysis, including 13-week rolling cash flow forecast modeling. His experience includes auditing, financial forensics, fraud investigations, situation assessments and viability analysis, merger & acquisition quality of earnings/accounting due diligence, and financial modeling involving numerous companies of varying sizes.

As credit analyst for a large financial institution, Jim was a key member of the team responsible for underwriting a $300 million syndicated credit facility and multiple financings.

Jim’s expertise spans consumer products and services, aviation and aerospace, manufacturing, distribution, mining, real estate, telecommunications, technology, and construction, engineering, and contracting with specialized experience and expertise in the following industries:

• Retail and consumer products

• Manufacturing and distribution

• Construction, engineering, contracting

• Financial services

• Real Estate

Financial Due Diligence, Fraud Investigations, & Forensic Accounting Involving:

• Financial due diligence/quality of earnings on behalf of multiple private equity firms related to numerous acquisitions of companies across industries that include engineering and construction, manufacturing, aviation, mining, consumer products and retail, media, and technology.

• Assessment of accounting and reporting systems, accounting policies and procedures, internal controls, financial reporting compliance, and managerial quality and depth, including for a $1+ billion distressed consumer products company.

• Investigations, including that related to whistleblower allegations of a technology company, involving major shareholder misappropriations of company resources and falsification of financial statements.

• Financial fraud examinations including both employee and vendor/procurement fraud at a major Hollywood studio that encompassed identifying weakness in internal controls for remediation.

Financial Advisory / Interim CFO / Controllership involving:

• All accounting and controllership services: account analyses, reconciliation and closings, financial statement preparation, analysis and review, reconciliations, and process improvement implementation for numerous companies, including the U.S. wholesale and retail operations of a Mexican-based shoe company, a solar development company, and a government contractor.

• Retail company branch closure analysis and relocation of head offices, including the establishment of new finance and accounting team.

• Distressed service company, requiring financial modeling and the acquisition of new, secured financing.

• Sell-side diligence / consulting that included preparation of cash flow projections and other support of the strategic

Jim is a member of the board of directors of the Los Angeles Chapter Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.

In addition to being a California licensed CPA, specializing in financial forensics, and a Certified Fraud Examiner, he obtained his business degree in marketing from California Polytechnic State University.