Panelist: Leon Schmidt is a founder and owner of QAsis Labs, an active quality strategist, QA leader and a software process innovator with over 20+ years’ experience in quality assurance, test automation, performance testing and process optimization. He specializes in driving strategic QA solutions that enhance efficiency, mitigate risk, and ensure seamless software delivery. He has successfully led large-scale QA programs, managed diverse teams across industries including manufacturing, healthcare, and finance, and implemented innovative automation and performance testing strategies that have fostered collaboration between business and technical teams, driving overall business value.

Panelist: Anil Venkatappagari is an Ex-Microsoftian and currently in the QA Architect role leading a team of Test Leads, Automation Testers, and Performance Engineers at FedEx. He has over 20 years of experience in the Software Quality Assurance and Testing field but remains very close to the technical side of the craft at the ground level. He has been involved in implementing test automation and performance testing solutions in many environments across Finance, Insurance, Retail, and Logistics. Most recently, he has been focusing on implementing best quality practices (with a focus on automation and performance) to multiple Agile Trains across the Enterprise besides driving enterprise-level End-End Testing initiatives.

Moderator: David Cox is Director of Software Quality Assurance at HSA Bank. In his 20+ years in software quality assurance David has advocated for continuous improvement of core test fundamentals, their application to the automation of testing, and the propagation of the quality assurance mindset beyond the program. He has led teams successfully through rapid process transformation and now applies those experiences to the larger organization, strategically revealing value through process optimization and improved collaboration within lines of business. David has had diverse experiences in the energy management, manufacturing process automation, environmental systems automation, insurance, and financial industries.