Q+A with Volunteer Client Lead Gabby Kouneva

Tell us about yourself and what you do at General Mills

My name is Gabby Kouneva and I am a team leader in the General Mills pet department at our research and development center. I currently live in Minnesota with my three cats and I love to travel, hike, read a good mystery novel, and watch Formula One racing!

What was your main motivation for volunteering with PFS?

I wanted to help make a more direct impact on smaller companies outside of General Mills.

What has been your most interesting volunteering/project experience?

I got to work with a company in Tanzania that was trying to eliminate yeast and mold in their yogurt. It was very interesting for me since I have never worked with dairy and I learned a lot about making yogurt from the other volunteers and our client.

What skills have you developed as a client lead?

I have picked up some really good project management skills - leading teams across multiple time zones and keeping everyone on track and the project moving forward. I have definitely applied these learnings to my job as I lead through big projects and keep the momentum going.

What's your favorite part of volunteering?

Meeting, getting to know, and  working with many different people around the globe.

What would you say to any colleague thinking about volunteering with PFS?

Sign up and volunteer! Sign up for something that you have passion around so it does not feel like work, or sign up as a client lead for something that you are unfamiliar with so you can broaden your knowledge!