Bruno Gavilán
I’m a Senior Program Manager on Autodesk’s Strategic Talent Programs team, based in Barcelona, Spain. In my role, I manage talent development programs that create meaningful learning experiences and support people’s growth at Autodesk. I work with different teams to design, coordinate, and deliver learning initiatives and talent programs, making sure they have a positive influence on employees’ development. Outside of my core role, I have a background in graphic design and have always been passionate about gaming and learning. It’s these interests that led me to get involved in a pro bono project where I had the opportunity to contribute from a different perspective.
Through Autodesk’s Pro Bono Consulting Program, I had the opportunity to contribute to a project outside of my regular role at Autodesk with global nonprofit Mercy Corps, which is part of Autodesk’s software donation program, the Technology Impact Program. The collaboration is focused on helping vulnerable communities in the Caribbean better prepare for natural disasters. Using Autodesk Flow Studio, we’re developing immersive virtual reality (VR) experiences that teach both adults and children how to respond during emergencies such as hurricanes, tsunamis, and earthquakes. The goal is to provide engaging, accessible, and realistic training that can help communities build preparedness and resilience before disasters occur.
I actually discovered this pro bono volunteer opportunity through an Autodesk Slack channel for gamers that I’m part of. When I first saw the post, I wasn’t entirely sure what my role in the project would be, but as I learned more about its mission and potential impact, I became increasingly interested in getting involved. As someone who has always been passionate about gaming and interactive experiences, I saw it as a unique opportunity to explore how immersive technology could be used for education and social impact while learning new skills along the way.
Helping communities prepare for natural disasters
A group of eight Autodesk pro bono volunteers are working with Mercy Corps to develop two VR experiences and one child-focused learning module that teach practical disaster preparedness and recovery actions. The goal is to make important safety information easier to understand, remember, and apply, especially for populations that may have limited access to traditional training resources. The project ultimately aims to strengthen resilience and preparedness in vulnerable Caribbean communities.
I hope these experiences help people feel more informed, confident, and prepared when disasters occur. Even small improvements in preparedness can have a significant impact on safety, recovery, and community resilience. Personally, what makes this project meaningful is seeing how the skills and passion of Autodesk employees can contribute to a larger social purpose. It’s rewarding to help create opportunities where technology becomes a tool for empowerment and positive change.
Learning new skills with Flow Studio
One of the most rewarding aspects of this project has been stepping outside my comfort zone. Because of changes on my team and the fact that many of us had limited experience developing VR content, we’ve all been able to learn new skills along the way.
In my case, I’m a new Flow Studio user. I’ve been using it to generate assets and visual content that our developers can bring into the VR environments and use to make the experiences feel more engaging and alive. What I really like about Flow Studio is how approachable it is. The AI-powered workflows make content creation much faster and easier, allowing people with different backgrounds and skill sets to contribute effectively without needing years of specialized experience.
Building connections through collaboration
One of the biggest benefits of participating in a pro bono project like this is the opportunity to build connections across the company and beyond. Through this initiative, I’ve had the chance to collaborate with colleagues from different teams, disciplines, and locations whom I would probably never have worked with otherwise.
Working directly with Mercy Corps has also given me a new perspective on how technology can support communities facing real-world challenges. Beyond the technical work, it has been incredibly rewarding to see how the skills we use every day at Autodesk can have a meaningful and positive impact on people’s lives.
This experience shows that Autodesk offers opportunities that go far beyond your day-to-day role. It allows employees to expand their professional networks, collaborate with people from different parts of the company, and explore new areas that complement their existing skills.
For me, this project provided the opportunity to learn about VR, immersive experiences, and AI-powered content creation while working alongside talented colleagues from a variety of backgrounds. At the same time, it gave me the satisfaction of contributing to something bigger than my regular work — using technology and creativity to support communities and create positive social impact.
(A big shoutout to the other team members: Antonio Beltran, Jonathan Zink, Nupur Yadav, Martyna Grzybek, Kai Hilbourne, Abdullah Alsoussi, Colton Hordichuk)
Want to grow your career while making a meaningful impact? Join us at Autodesk!