Get to Know Antonio Carrillo, WG’93, and Nikos Panagiotopoulos, C’93, W’93, G’97, WG’97, Who Are Shaping the Future of Wharton Leadership Ventures Through Philanthropy

Catalyst: How has your experience leading across organizations and communities influenced your decision to establish the Carrillo Family MBA Venture Fellows Fund?

Carrillo: I am an engineer and attended college in Mexico with a very technical curriculum and virtually no concept of leadership training. After college, I was an engineer in a factory and eventually started having to supervise people, and again, there was virtually no training on how to lead. Then I went for my MBA at Wharton, where we had some HR courses and basic concepts of leadership training, but nothing very formal.

Since Wharton, my career has always been inside large organizations, leading teams and working with people. I developed my leadership skills by trial and error, copying other people or handling situations as well as I could. But my career and impact could have been better if I had leadership training to help me avoid the many mistakes I have made in 40 years of working.

When I talk to students in Wharton Leadership Ventures and Venture Fellows, what really amazes me is how much self-reflection and personal growth happens during the programs. The maturity that I have seen in these young people is just incredible. I am convinced that this leadership program is unique, creating a quantum leap in students’ self-awareness, which in my view, is a critical component for character growth.

Catalyst: You’ve shared how important it is to understand what drives and motivates you. How did this concept shape your decision to establish the Panagiotopoulos Family Undergraduate Venture Fellows Fund?

Panagiotopoulos: Wharton Leadership Ventures felt very close to my own journey. So much of my development did not come from structured paths, but from stepping into uncertainty, learning by doing, and figuring things out in real time.

What stood out about the Venture Fellows program is that it does not treat leadership as a theoretical construct, but builds it through experience. Whether it is through simulations, expeditions, or high-pressure environments, students learn how to think clearly and act decisively when there is no script. That is something I had to learn over time, and often the hard way.

Supporting Venture Fellows felt like giving students something that I had to build for myself: a structured way to grow through uncertainty, but with guidance and reflection built in.

Catalyst: Although Leadership Ventures weren’t part of the student experience during your time at Wharton, what excites you about their significance in developing today’s students?

Carrillo: In this era where so many tools, including AI, are being used to replace basic human skills, the way to succeed is by embracing skills that cannot be replaced. Leadership, human interaction, soft skills, culture, curiosity, experiences, etc., combined with the ability to use technology, will be essential tools to succeed.

Wharton Leadership Ventures provide students with incredible experiences that would take years to replicate in a normal professional environment. It is a powerful tool for students who are not afraid of stepping outside of their comfort zone and want to experience accelerated character growth.

What is also incredible is that all this learning and growth happens while traveling to incredible places and making lifelong friendships in a safe environment.

When I was thinking about supporting the program, I asked the Wharton alumni community in Mexico City if anyone had been on Leadership Ventures. Suddenly, our WhatsApp group became flooded with stories of incredible experiences. Every single person I have met who has gone through the program tells me it is the highlight of their Wharton MBA. 

Panagiotopoulos: What excites me most is how real and immersive these experiences are. Leadership is not taught in abstraction, but is tested in environments where conditions change, pressure is real, and teamwork matters deeply. The fact that students are placed in settings like expeditions, military training environments, or emergency response simulations is powerful. It forces clarity of thought, communication, and resilience, in a way that classroom learning cannot replicate.

I also find it meaningful that students are not just participants for their own sake but often help facilitate and guide others. This adds another layer of leadership, learning to lead while helping others grow through the same experience.

Catalyst: What role did Wharton play in shaping the leader you are today, and how does this gift honor that experience?

Carrillo: Wharton has played an incredible role in shaping not only the professional leader I am today, but the person I am today — starting with my wife, who I met though a Wharton friend. Because I went to Wharton and met my wife, I have two incredible sons who make me the proudest dad every day. Professionally, the tools I learned at Wharton allowed me to succeed and become the first-ever Mexican to be a public company CEO both in Mexico and the U.S. Finally, I have made and continue to make incredible friends who not only support me, but more importantly, challenge me and help me grow.

All this happened because the School believed in a young Mexican that could not afford to attend. It gave me a significant scholarship that changed my life, which led to the many other lives that I have been able to change during my professional and personal life. I will always be grateful to the School and the many Wharton leaders I have met throughout the years.

Catalyst: How did your Wharton experience give you the clarity and confidence to forge your own path?

Panagiotopoulos: Wharton gave me perspective, confidence, and skills. I was surrounded by people who thought differently, came from different places, and pursued very different definitions of success. That environment expanded my sense of what was possible. More importantly, it helped me understand that clarity does not come all at once, it comes from action, experimentation, and adaptation.

Wharton gave me the confidence to move forward without having everything figured out and to trust that experience itself would shape my direction over time.

Catalyst: Looking ahead, what do you hope the Carrillo Family MBA Venture Fellows Fund and the Panagiotopoulos Family Undergraduate Venture Fellows Fund will make possible for students?

Carrillo: My greatest hope is that the young people that experience Leadership Ventures and those that become Venture Fellows enjoy the program, grow though the experiences, and then go out and make a positive impact in their industries, communities, and the world they will be creating.

Jeff Klein and his team have done an incredible job for 25 years. If I remember correctly, Jeff told me there have been 13,000 people to experience this program. That’s 13,000 leaders changing the world for good!

Panagiotopoulos: I hope the fund gives students the freedom to step into experiences that challenge them in unexpected ways and place them in situations where they are tested, challenged, and supported at the same time.

Some of the most meaningful moments in life come from being in unfamiliar environments, working with others under pressure and realizing you are capable of more than you thought. I hope this fund makes those moments accessible to more students, regardless of background or means.

Most of all, I hope it helps students build confidence not just in what they can do, but in how they respond to uncertainty and, in doing so, launches them on their journey to real leadership.

If our generous donors’ stories have inspired you to learn more about the McNulty Leadership Program.