She's the Real Deal

Cathy Bedrick MBA/a’99

Director, Transaction Services, KPMG LLP

Chicago, IL

“In addition to the technical aspects, my experiences in the 3/2 program helped shape me into a more confident person, which shows through on all aspects of my life.”

Cathy Bedrick's motto could be “let's make a deal.”

As managing director at KPMG's Transaction Services group, Bedrick works in the company's Private Equity group advising clients on their decisions to purchase companies. And after nine years at the company, Bedrick is still going strong and loving her career choice.

“For me, the most exciting aspect of my job is the constant change,” says Bedrick. “Most deals only last a few weeks and while there is ongoing work through the close, my main focus shifts quickly to the next deal in the pipeline.” In fact, over the course of her KPMG career, Bedrick has helped to broker more than 100 deals across a variety of industries, traveling to approximately 35 states and five foreign countries.

Lucky for KPMG, numbers have always come easy to this Monticello, Indiana, native. Initially drawn to Indiana University for its top-notch business school and beautiful campus, Bedrick didn't want to leave in just four years. She started researching Kelley's 3/2 MBA in Accounting program, and the idea of earning an undergraduate degree in business and an MBA in just five years sounded good to her. “To begin with, the major appeal was the ability to stay at school an extra year,” Bedrick admits. “I definitely wasn't in a hurry to leave Bloomington. The more I heard about the program, I realized that it would give me a unique opportunity to develop broader business skills while also refining my accounting and finance skill set.”

A pleasant side effect of all these skills, says Bedrick, has been a feeling of self-reliance. “I learned so much at Kelley that it is hard to sum up,” she says. “In general, the core technical skills I learned in accounting and finance are things that I utilize on a daily basis. In addition to the technical aspects, my experiences in the 3/2 program helped shape me into a more confident person, which shows through on all aspects of my life.”

She'll be the first to admit that she's got a pretty sweet deal at KPMG, but Bedrick is not one to be satisfied with the status quo. She's currently working toward a partnership position in Transaction Services at KPMG.

In Brief

What is your favorite Kelley memory?

“My favorite memories from Kelley involve just hanging out with my friends, particularly on those fall and spring afternoons when you find that you are done with class at noon and have the rest of the day just to enjoy it.”

Advice for Kelley students?

“College provides a certain freedom that is hard to come by once you leave school. While I love my job, I certainly wouldn't turn down Winter Break, Spring Break, and taking summers off. I always recommend to students that they enjoy their last summer before starting work because they will be working for a very long time to come.”

What do you do for fun?

“I love to travel and try to take at least one international trip and one relaxing (usually a week at a beach) trip every year. When I'm not traveling, I enjoy running, watching movies, and spending time with my husband and our very spoiled dog.”