Learn from the Testing Experts

Featured Speakers

Renard Vardy

Principal Consultant KJR

Aarti Suresh

Solutions Engineer
Postman

Vinay Madan

Technical Lead

MVSI

Deepak Puri

CEO

Intellificial

Fireside Speakers

Mark Otter

Testing Practice Manager, UST

Daniel Lessa

Technology Innovation Director, CloudMarc

Panel Discussion Speaker

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Humera Khanum

Senior Delivery Manager, Lovisa Pty Ltd

I’m a Senior Delivery Manager focused on turning complex technology change into outcomes that work in the real world.

With over 20 years of experience across retail, banking, telecom, and higher education, I’ve led large-scale technology initiatives for organisations including Coles, NAB, and Telstra. My approach centres on bringing clarity and calm to complex environments, aligning teams, stakeholders, and delivery priorities even through significant organisational change.

I specialise in leading multi-stream enterprise programs spanning ERP and SaaS platforms, digital and data ecosystems, and large integration landscapes. My work often sits between technology and commercial strategy, helping organisations translate ambition into practical, sustainable outcomes.

I work pragmatically across Agile, hybrid, and traditional delivery models, with experience across platforms such as Salesforce, ServiceNow, Pega, workforce systems, and modern data platforms including Snowflake and MDM-enabled architectures.

Anju Samadhia

Head of Quality Engineering, Acenda

An experienced, disciplined, and highly-motivated IT professional with over 20+ years of experience leading cross-functional teams in complex global delivery models for medium and large organizations using both Agile and Waterfall Project Management Processes in Banking, Insurance, Finance, Energy & Utilities and Digital space.

Extensive project delivery experience in Agile and Waterfall methodology at enterprise level in multicultural environments (Australia, US/Canada, APAC clients)

• Rich experience in facilitation of Agile ceremonies (Iteration/Release/Sprint/PI Planning, Daily Stand Ups, Product/Sprint Backlog Grooming sessions, Scrum of Scrums, Demos/Showcases)

• An effective leader, coach and communicator with strong interpersonal, leadership, analytical and relationship management skills. Team Management including conflict management, recruitment, mentoring, training & performance management/ talent retention

• Results driven and strong focus on client satisfaction and business benefits realization

• Excellent project risk assessment and management capabilities. Experience in managing risks, assumptions, issues and dependencies across the project

• Pragmatic and excellent interpersonal skills to build and maintain strong client/stakeholder relationships with some negotiation skills

• Solid experience in managing multi-disciplinary cross-functional teams (onshore, offshore, vendors and contractors)

• Exposure in project commercials including Vendors, budgets, resource & capacity augmentation.

• Expertise in core test management activities such as Test Plan, Strategy, Estimation, Scheduling, Monitoring & Tracking

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Jared Quinert

Testing and Quality Manager

Jared is a software testing leader and pratctitioner from Melbourne. With over thirty years of experience, he specialises in agile and context-driven testing and bespoke test strategies with a focus on outcomes over process. As one of the most experienced agile testers in Australia, he’s been diving in hands-on since 2003 to discover how to build successful whole-team approaches to software development.

Jared currently works at Swinburne University as the IT Testing and Quality manager. His previous roles include work in a wide range of industries, covering video games, banking, telecommunications, web startups and more.

Daniel Lessa

Director of AI and Innovation, CloudMarc

As Director of Technology Innovation at CloudMarc, I am responsible for shaping and driving the company’s innovation agenda, helping clients unlock the business value of AI, automation, and advanced quality engineering. My focus is on building practical, impactful solutions that accelerate delivery, improve reliability, and ensure measurable results for our clients.

With over 23 years in IT consulting, including senior roles at Accenture, where I established and led the ANZ Quality Engineering practice, I have a proven history of delivering transformation at scale. I specialize in bridging the gap between emerging technology and business outcomes, working directly with clients to define strategy, drive adoption, and foster a culture of continuous improvement.

Previously, I managed large, hybrid teams across onshore and offshore locations, streamlined vendor coordination, and implemented comprehensive review and improvement plans. My data-driven approach centered on transparent reporting, robust metrics, and strategic analysis has enabled better issue management and a proactive approach to risk mitigation.

Before CloudMarc, I founded Smart Bricks AI Solutions to make practical, accessible AI available to small and medium-sized businesses. I remain passionate about using innovation to solve real-world problems, whether for startups or established enterprises.

 

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Kathryn Nankivell

Director, Ranea Enterprises

Kathryn Nankivell is a senior technology and quality engineering leader with a track record of lifting delivery performance across banking, telecommunications and government. She has led enterprise‑wide quality organisations and major transformation programs spanning legacy modernisation, greenfields delivery, infrastructure uplift and complex multi‑vendor environments.Known for combining deep engineering leadership with strong commercial acumen, Kathryn has delivered measurable improvements in cycle time, risk visibility and early defect detection. She has championed modern practices across automation, Agile, DevOps and emerging AI‑enabled testing — always with a practical, people‑centred approach that helps teams realise tangible value from new ways of working.Kathryn is recognised for building trusted relationships across technology and business, creating the alignment needed for quality to shape outcomes rather than simply measure them. She is driven by a simple belief: quality only matters when it works in the real world.