Rory Pannkuk

Harvard Business School

“I fundamentally believe that limits are self-imposed, and those who dare challenge them often succeed.”

Hometown: Santa Barbara, California, USA

Fun Fact About Yourself: I was a Paralympic-trained wheelchair fencer for 10 years, competing across the country with the USA Paralympic Fencing team. I started at 8-years-old, making me one of the youngest in the country at the time!

Undergraduate School and Major: Santa Clara University, Leavey School of Business. I earned dual bachelor’s degrees in Finance and Economics.

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Accenture, Management Consultant

What makes the case method so attractive as a means to learn and become a better manager? The case method teaches you to analyze a situation, identify problems, design solutions, and present them to a classroom of 90+ exceptionally smart classmates from diverse backgrounds and industries. Each person brings a unique perspective to every discussion, and you often leave class with takeaways or perspectives that you hadn’t considered before. Nothing prepares you better for future leadership than the case method because it encourages you daily to share your ideas with a room full of people who aren’t afraid to challenge your logic or push back constructively.

Every class follows this structure, requiring thorough case preparation. Instead of memorizing academic theories from a textbook, you prepare in advance and bring your real-world lessons to the case discussion. It’s intimidating at first, but over time, you become comfortable taking a stand and arguing your point with evidence from the case and your personal experiences.

Aside from your classmates and cases, what was the key part of Harvard Business School’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? Harvard’s rich entrepreneurial ecosystem, facilitated by the Harvard Innovation Labs and the Rock Center for Entrepreneurship, played a significant role in my decision to choose HBS. After spending five years in consulting, I realized I wanted to either launch my own company or explore early-stage venture capital post-business school. I’ve been consistently impressed by the resources available for aspiring entrepreneurs and the supportive community of founders here at HBS.

Through school events and networking on campus, I’ve met VCs who were early investors in some of the world’s largest companies. I’ve also joined clubs that host design thinking workshops or pitch events with substantial funding opportunities exclusively for Harvard students, including a real Shark Tank-style pitch competition judged by none other than Kevin O’Leary. Furthermore, if there’s an industry or role I want to explore, I have endless access to people with relevant experience who are eager to share insights with me to inform my business school and career journey.

What course, club, or activity excites you the most at Harvard Business School? In addition to the FIELD Global Capstone, which offers HBS students the opportunity to travel internationally to tackle real-world business challenges, I’m especially excited about the Short Intensive Programs (SIPs) offered each January. These week-long courses are available to both RCs and ECs, allowing students to dive deeply into topics that aren’t typically covered in the classroom but may be of interest.

These courses range from classes that explore the life and role of a CEO—where renowned Fortune 500 CEOs come to campus and share insights on leadership—to managing a high performing Formula One team, taught by Toto Wolff, team principal and CEO at Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team.

When you think of Harvard Business School, what is the first word that comes to mind? Why? Humility. When I first came to HBS for my interview and the admitted students welcome (ASW), I was pleasantly surprised by how warm, kind, and supportive the community was here on campus. Nearly everyone I met had an incredibly accomplished background, yet they seemed more interested in getting to know me and supporting my goals. This initial impression was a major factor in my decision to choose HBS over other MBA programs. That perspective has only been strengthened in the months since I started. My section classmates and the broader HBS community have been genuinely eager to help me reach my goals and connect me with opportunities that align with my interests.

Looking at your recruitment, what was the moment when you realized Harvard Business School was the right program for you? Why? At ASW, during my very first case discussion as a prospective student, I was cold-called at the start of class by the professor. Luckily, the case was similar to a project I had worked on at Accenture, so I shared my point of view and referenced my own experience. From there, the class conversation expanded on my initial comment, and I learned a ton from peers who either challenged my argument or agreed with me. After that class, several prospective students approached me to compliment my comment and continued the conversation about the case with me after class. I knew right there that I loved the case method, and I submitted my deposit to confirm my acceptance to HBS that evening.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Only three years into my career, I worked with a major tech client to redesign their channel partner and seller experiences for over 3 million users, and I shared my team’s global strategic partnership perspective with Accenture’s CEO.

Describe your biggest accomplishment as an MBA student so far? Last month, I snuck into a class that Toto Wolff was teaching for a day just so I could get a selfie with him. I still brag about that selfie to my friends and family today.

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into Harvard Business School’s MBA program? Be authentic, vulnerable, and talk about the perspective that only YOU can provide to the class. As cliché as that sounds, HBS really cares about your personal growth and authenticity in the application. In addition to leaders who make a difference in the world, HBS looks for candidates who provide a unique perspective in the classroom that challenges others to think differently. If you copy someone else’s story or tell the school what you think they want to hear, then you’re approaching the application incorrectly.

What were the decisions throughout life that led you to where you are now? How does HBS help you get to where you want to go tomorrow? Start thinking deeply about these questions and ask yourself ‘why’ several times. If you can effortlessly connect the dots throughout your journey and easily communicate why HBS is the natural next step, then you’re on the right track. For me, it took months of self-reflection and outreach with peers and HBS alumni to find my why. Once I did, the application became much easier.

DON’T MISS: MEET HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL’S MBA CLASS OF 2026