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Francis Ho
Director of Engineering, Auror
Francis Ho is the Director of Engineering at Auror, where they build software that helps retailers like Walmart and Woolworths reduce crime and loss in their stores. It's one of those products where quality actually matters in a tangible way. If they get it wrong, real people are affected.
Francis ended up in quality engineering the same way most people do, which is by accident, and then on purpose. He started as a developer, but somewhere along the way realised he was more interested in different ways thing might break. That shift turned into a career, and eventually into leading engineering teams that builds software product.
Lately, a lot of his thinking has been sitting at the intersection of AI and quality. Not the hype version, but the practical one: What does it actually change about how we test, how we build, and how engineering teams work? He's been running experiments with his teams, trying to figure out what's genuinely useful versus what just sounds impressive in a blog post.
He believes the people closest to the problem usually have the best answers, and that his job is mostly to clear the path and ask the questions nobody wants to ask out loud.
Outside of work, Francis helps organises the Auckland Testing meetup, drinks an irresponsible amount of bubble tea, and enjoys spending time with his kids at home.
Roger Chong
Practice Manager Quality Engineering, Auckland Council
Roger is a Quality Engineering leader serving as Practice Manager at Auckland Council, where he leads the strategic direction of quality engineering, driving enterprise-wide adoption of modern testing practices that balance speed, scalability, and business value.
With deep expertise in automation testing, Roger has built and governed frameworks spanning UI, API, performance, and accessibility testing, while ensuring alignment with data privacy and cybersecurity standards. His work integrates seamlessly into CI/CD ecosystems using platforms such as Microsoft Azure DevOps, enabling high-quality, continuous delivery across complex enterprise environments.
Roger’s leadership approach is grounded in Lean principles focusing on eliminating waste, optimising delivery pipelines, and continuously improving engineering efficiency. He is known for transforming quality from a testing function into a strategic capability, empowering teams to take shared ownership of quality outcomes.
He has successfully led automation initiatives across multiple Agile Release Trains, operating within SAFe and Scrum environments, while mentoring engineers and shaping capability uplift across teams. His role extends beyond technology, working closely with senior leadership, procurement, and change management functions to align quality engineering strategies with organisational priorities.
Roger is passionate about the evolution of Quality Engineering in the age of AI, advocating for a balanced approach where automation and intelligent tooling enhance rather than replace human judgment, creativity, and accountability in delivering meaningful user outcomes.
Nessta Jones
QA Director, Afor
I am a People and QA Strategy Manager at Afor.co.nz which is a specialist test automation and management consultancy based in Auckland, NZ.
I have been involved in the management and strategy of testing consultancies over the last 24yrs. I started my testing career in 1993 in the UK and have enjoyed working for many different types of companies, projects and industries including: safety critic real-time Air Traffic Control, airlines, international banking, insurance, energy, dairy, logistics and TV and initially cut my teeth with development of defence systems.
Afor Ltd is a joint venture with Matt Belcher whose focus is Test Automation, DevOps and Release Management, in particular for companies wanting to move to lean, continuous integration moving to Dev/OPS and agile transformation. We use an Afor framework with a reporting feature built using open-source tools.
Royston Raphael
Regional Director of Automation, AI & Data, Planit
Royston is a Regional Practice Director for Automation and AI at Planit, with over 18 years of experience in quality engineering and quality transformation. He specialises in helping organisations modernise how they build and deliver software, with a strong focus on automation and AI-driven quality engineering.Throughout his career, Royston has worked across industries including banking, insurance, digital media, and startups. He’s known for designing scalable test automation frameworks, building high-performing engineering teams, and driving enterprise-wide quality strategies.He combines deep technical expertise with a strong focus on delivering meaningful business outcomes. Whether leading large-scale QA initiatives or working hands-on with tools to help deliver test outcomes, he takes a practical, end-to-end approach to embedding quality across the entire software delivery lifecycle.More recently, he’s been focused on exploring how AI can enhance the quality engineering space - experimenting with AI agents and helping organisations rethink how testing evolves in an AI-driven world.
Paul Hope
Quality Assurance Practice Lead, Foodstuffs North Island Limited
Paul Hope is a technology leader focused on the future of quality engineering, AI-enabled delivery, and enterprise data transformation. With extensive experience as a practitioner and leader for QA, QE, and data engineering practices across complex enterprise environments, Paul helps organisations modernise how they build, test, and deliver software at scale.
From delivering quality excellence for almost two decades in the United States and Caribbean, Paul is now based in Auckland where he has led multiple QA to QE transformation initiatives spanning insurance, retail, supply chain, and SAP ecosystems, intelligent automation platforms, and digital delivery programs. He is particularly passionate about redefining quality engineering for the AI era - moving beyond traditional testing toward intelligent, proactive, and continuously adaptive quality practices.
Paul is known for combining strategic thinking with practical execution, building high-performing teams, mentoring future leaders, and building diverse and inclusive cultures centered on innovation, accountability, and business value.
