Sharer Consulting LLC
Cost Optimization & Risk Management for Private Equity
We help PE general partners and their portfolio companies reduce costs, manage risk, and optimize revenue — leveraging technology and AI to drive measurable value creation across the hold period.
About
Operational Costs Are a Capital Issue
At Sharer Consulting, we bring a private equity investor’s lens to cost optimization and risk management — because the line items that erode EBITDA most predictably are the ones that get the least strategic attention.
Founded by Jeff Sharer, Sharer Consulting LLC partners with private equity GPs and their portfolio companies to systematically reduce costs, optimize revenue, and manage risk across the hold period. We focus on the operational spend categories that drive the most value when managed with discipline: employee benefits and insurance, risk management, and digital media spend.
What sets us apart is how we work. We deploy technology and AI agents to automate workflows, surface hidden inefficiencies, and deliver optimization at a pace and precision that traditional consulting models can’t match. From AI-driven claims analysis to automated media spend auditing, we bring modern tools to problems that most firms still solve with spreadsheets and annual reviews.
Our deep domain expertise is in benefits and insurance — where costs are rising 9–10% annually and represent the most predictable, compounding drag on portfolio value. But our optimization methodology applies across every cost and risk category where data-driven strategy can replace inertia.
9–10%
Annual benefits cost growth facing PE portfolios — the largest controllable expense
15–30%
Typical waste in unaudited digital media spend across portfolio companies
AI-First
Technology and AI agents deployed to automate analysis, monitoring, and optimization
Full Stack
Cost optimization, risk management, and revenue enhancement in one engagement
Leadership
Built on Wall Street. Sharpened in Practice.
Jeffrey Sharer
Founder & CEO, Sharer Consulting LLC
- Juris Doctor (JD), Elisabeth Haub School of Law, Pace University
- B.A., Moravian University
- Member, Connecticut Bar
- Former Vice President, Goldman Sachs
- Former Managing Director, Marsh
Jeff Sharer is a senior financial services leader and attorney whose career spans over two decades at the intersection of risk management, insurance, and private equity. His unique combination of legal training, Wall Street operating experience, and deep insurance domain expertise gives him a perspective that few advisors can match — one that understands both the regulatory landscape and the investor’s imperative to protect and create value.
Jeff began his risk management career at Goldman Sachs, where over a decade he rose to Vice President and held leadership roles across the firm’s risk management infrastructure — including serving as President of Pearl Street Insurance Company, Officer at Goldman Sachs Risk Advisors, and Director of Customer Asset Protection Company. He was responsible for identifying and leading risk management for entities, risk financing, and compliance activities for Goldman Sachs Group and its subsidiaries, overseeing hazard risk management for the firm and its owned investment entities.
1997 – 2007
Vice President
Goldman Sachs
Led risk management entities including Pearl Street Insurance Company and Goldman Sachs Risk Advisors. Oversaw hazard risk for the firm and owned investment entities including Cogentrix Energy and Horizon Wind Energy.
2007 – 2008
Managing Director
Marsh
Restructured risk management frameworks to meet regulatory requirements. Developed corporate defense strategies and enterprise management programs for financial services clients.
2010 – Present
Founder & CEO
Sharer Consulting LLC
Provides cost optimization, risk management, and strategic advisory to private equity GPs, portfolio companies, family offices, and insurance entities. Led capital reclassification for health insurance restructuring and sale, advised on PE InsurTech investments, and delivers cyber risk and AI assessments.
services
How We Create Value
Comprehensive cost and risk optimization for PE general partners and their portfolio
companies — powered by technology and AI, grounded in deep domain expertise.
Risk Management
End-to-end risk assessment and mitigation across the portfolio: property & casualty program optimization, cyber and AI liability evaluation, insurance program structuring, and enterprise risk frameworks designed for PE operating models and hold-period timelines.
Benefits & Insurance Advisory
Our deepest specialty. Comprehensive benefits cost assessment, plan design optimization, PBM contract reform, self-funding and captive strategies, vendor accountability, and workforce-segmented approaches that reduce the largest controllable cost in most PE portfolios.
AI & Technology Integration
We build and deploy AI agents and automated workflows that transform how portfolio companies manage costs and risk. From intelligent claims analysis to real-time spend monitoring, we bring technology-first solutions that scale across the portfolio and compound over time.
Portfolio-Level Strategy
Centralized cost and risk governance across the portfolio: aggregated purchasing leverage, shared best practices, coordinated vendor management, and consistent execution that no single portfolio company could achieve on its own.
Revenue Optimization
Data-driven strategies to identify and capture revenue leakage, optimize pricing, and improve go-to-market efficiency. We use AI-powered analytics to surface opportunities that traditional approaches miss, turning operational data into top-line growth.
Digital Media Spend Optimization
Audit and optimization of digital advertising and media spend across portfolio companies. We deploy automated monitoring to eliminate waste, improve attribution, and ensure every media dollar delivers measurable ROI against business objectives.
Technology-Driven. PE-Disciplined.
Every engagement is structured around the priorities that matter to private equity: measurable EBITDA impact, scalability across the portfolio, and alignment with the investment thesis and hold-period timeline. We use AI and automation to deliver results faster and with greater precision than traditional advisory models.
- AI agents for automated cost monitoring, anomaly detection, and workflow optimization
- Quick wins that fund structural transformation over the hold period
- Cross-portfolio analytics for benchmarking and identifying systemic savings
- Deep-dive insurance and benefits optimization — the highest-impact cost lever
- Digital media spend audits that eliminate waste and improve attribution
- Fiduciary-grade rigor in risk stewardship and vendor accountability
Contact
Start the Conversation
Whether you’re looking to optimize costs at a specific portfolio company or build a
portfolio-wide strategy for cost reduction and risk management, we’d welcome the
opportunity to discuss how we can help.
Jeffrey Sharer, JD
Founder & CEO, Sharer Consulting LLC
Advisory · Innovation · Transformation
