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KPMG’s Maura Kurtz Hodge ’00 named to Boston Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 List Capitalizing on her impressive academic accomplishments and early leadership experience, Maura (Kurtz) Hodge ’00 has built a distinguished professional career at one of the most prestigious companies in the world – all by the age of 35. After graduating from MMI and the University of South Carolina, Hodge accepted a position with KPMG in Boston, one of the four largest accounting firms in the world. In less than 15 years with KPMG, she has launched two practices for the company and joined the partnership.
2010. In April of 2011, she helped launch the firm’s sustainability services assurance practice, which reviews companies’ corporate responsibility reports and claims. As a senior manager, her duties in the role included managing assurance engagements of sustainability reports and data and raising internal and external awareness of the company’s sustainability services. After returning from her first maternity leave, just two years later, Hodge assisted in launching KPMG’s venture capital practice and simultaneously served as a senior manager in the two practices. Her role in the venture capital practice included providing audit services to early-stage, venture capital-backed companies, primarily in the life sciences and technology industries.
Her highly accomplished professional career recently led to her inclusion on the Boston Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 list, which recognizes individuals who are the leaders in their field and influential to Boston area business and industry. Hodge said her inclusion on the list was very unexpected.
Hodge was admitted to the partnership of the firm on October 1, 2016. As an audit partner, she continues to serve clients in both practices.
“Although I knew I had been nominated, I Hodge said she learned invaluable lessons in was quite surprised when I was informed by a public speaking, leadership, and how to act in a former colleague who had seen the list posted professional setting while at MMI that she has online. Being recognized in this way is quite an applied during her illustrious career with KPMG. honor,” she said. “When we moved to Boston, She cited everything from memorizing and reciting my husband and I had not planned on staying poems in Mrs. Kathryn Green’s English class, to the Maura Kurtz Hodge ’00 more than five years. Twelve years later, we’re annual assemblies, to Mr. Dennis Clarke’s speech still in Boston and I feel like I can now call this city my home.” class and Mock Trial as ways that helped her develop a competent public speaking background. The Weatherly native was a member of the girls’ basketball team, was involved with several organizations and clubs, and participated in both the after-school and summer work study programs during her time at MMI. Hodge said she “developed some of my closest friendships to this day during work study.” She also learned a lot – not just on the court – from her basketball teammates. “We had a tight-knit team that hung out on and off the court. The friendships spanned all grades and they taught me how to drive, be adventurous, and not take myself so seriously.” Hodge used her stellar academic record at MMI, which culminated in her selection as the valedictorian of the Class of 2000, to gain acceptance to the University of South Carolina’s Moore School of Business, one of the country’s top business schools. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a focus on accounting in 2004 and a master’s degree in accounting in 2005. Following graduation, Hodge joined KPMG in September of 2005 as an audit associate and became an audit manager in July of
“Public speaking was an integral part of my experience at MMI that has served me well throughout college and my career. Knowing how to efficiently prepare for a presentation, being able to answer questions on the fly, and speaking with confidence sets you apart from many of your peers and is critical to your success in any field,” she said. Hodge remarked that she became more confident as a result of chances to lead organizations and clubs at MMI and it’s a skill that has helped her advance quickly at KPMG. “MMI both provided me with the opportunities to participate in leadership development programs during and after school as well as the ability to practice those skills by leading various organizations and clubs. Learning about my leadership strengths and weaknesses in prep school has allowed me to evolve my leadership style over time. These experiences gave me the tools to naturally assume leadership roles at KPMG long before my years of experience indicated that I should,” she said. Continued on page 13
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