Patrick Cataldo, '92
“What I love most about my job is helping clients solve their complex business problems and doing that by working with an organization of outstanding professionals.” Patrick Cataldo, 1992 graduate of the Robins School of Business, has been named managing consultant at Towers Watson, a global professional services firm.
The Boston native earned a bachelor’s degree in finance. Following graduation, he moved back to Massachusetts to begin his career. “For the first eight years, I did financial and business analysis in the technology and financial services industries. Looking to further my formal education, I pursued a master’s degree in finance from Boston College. With an advanced degree and a hot dot-com market, I was recruited by an internet startup and worked in technology operations. Then in 2002, my career brought me back to Richmond with Capital One Financial in a corporate strategy role that combined my finance and technology experience. The opportunity to observe how good strategy is driven by great people inspired my next role at Capital One into human resources (HR) where after a few years I was named a vice president. My human resources expertise was further enhanced as global vice president of HR at Hilton Worldwide before joining Towers Watson in 2010.”
He added, “I have a strong foundation in business thanks to my business school professors especially Dr. Babb and Dr. Litteral. Coming back to Virginia and tapping back into the alumni network has been a great experience. I currently work with several Spiders and the alumni connections are strong in the community. Returning and reconnecting with my alma mater and former classmates has also been very rewarding.”
Cataldo elaborated on his current position. “Today I use all the skills I’ve developed over the course of my education and career to run our business here in the Virginia, Maryland and Washington D.C. market. At Towers Watson, we help organizations improve performance through effective people, risk and financial management. We have over 400 associates in the area and as managing consultant, my responsibilities include marketplace development, financial management, associate development and client satisfaction. The most rewarding part of my job is when we combine our team’s collective expertise to help clients achieve and exceed their business goals.”
Cataldo concluded, “One of my driving goals is to be continually challenged to learn and grow. Over my career, I’ve never applied for or accepted a job for which I was totally qualified. As a result, the learning opportunities I’ve encountered have kept my career interesting, rewarding and fun. I’m grateful for the experiences this has provided and continues to provide. For me, lifelong learning has always been a journey and not just a destination.”