QA Leadership in the AI Era —
Strategy, Skills and Success
Pradeep Soundararajan
Founder & CEO
Mallika Fernandes
Managing Director
Jaydeep Chakrabarty
Head of AI in Tech
Sobhitha Neelanath
Co-Founder & CTO
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Session Outline
As AI continues to redefine the testing landscape, QA leaders face the critical task of guiding their teams through change. This panel explores how to craft a winning AI adoption strategy, develop new skills and mindsets, put strong governance in place, and measure ROI and impact effectively. Learn how to balance innovation with risk and lead your organization confidently into an AI-augmented future.
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Key areas this panel will address
Panelist
IT Leader with 25 years of industry experience, she has extensive
expertise on driving innovation, building industry trending tools and
leading transformational programs. She leads the Quality
Engineering Capability at Accenture. She holds 21 patents and her
‘AI in testing’ research work is published by MIT in their book “Why
Humans Matter More Than Ever (Digital Future of Management)”.
Pradeep Soundararajan is the Founder CEO of Moolya (Services) and Bugasura (Product). He is the author of books such as Buddha in Testing and Growth Driven Testing. He has played all roles available in testing over the last 2 decades. His professional mission is to drive growth for businesses through testing and enable testers to succeed. His personal mission is to enable people with insights on his channel. He lives a holistic life and has devoted the rest of his life to enable people to live a holistic life and liberate themselves.
Pradeep tells stories in a way that is unique to him. His stories have touched people and moved them to do things that otherwise they wouldn’t have. For good. His stories have life, authenticity and profoundness. Would you give it a try?
Jaydeep Chakrabarty is currently serving as the Director of AI in Tech at Piramal Capital & Housing Finance Limited, based in Bengaluru, Karnataka. With an extensive 18-year career spanning diverse roles such as Fullstack Developer, Infrastructure Developer, Experience and Visual Designer, Project Manager, Quality Analyst, Security Specialist, and Data Scientist, Jaydeep brings a comprehensive technological perspective to his leadership role.
Before joining Piramal Finance, Jaydeep was the Head of Generative AI Engagements and R&D and Head of Communities at Thoughtworks India. At Thoughtworks, he founded and led the Generative AI group “GPT Wizards,” driving research, development, and client partnerships across India, the Middle East, and other global regions. His strategic initiatives significantly contributed to revenue growth by successfully implementing generative AI solutions.
An avid open-source enthusiast, Jaydeep has contributed to notable projects including Talisman, OpenStack, Report-mine, Taiko, and EEG studies. He regularly shares his insights through prestigious publications such as EFY (Electronics For You), Opensource4You, and The Hindu’s tech column “Text and Context – Toolbox.”
Jaydeep’s expertise lies in bridging theoretical advancements in artificial intelligence with practical applications, emphasizing ethical considerations and real-world impact. His current role at Piramal Finance involves integrating AI into critical organizational functions such as credit underwriting and sales enablement.
Recognized as a thought leader in AI innovation and implementation, his contributions have earned him several prestigious recognitions, including the Asia’s Leadership Award 2025, where he was named a “Top Visionary Making a Wave in 2025.” In addition, he was honored as the Best Tech Influencer at the 2nd IT Confex in Dubai in October 2024 and was featured by Insights Success magazine as one of the most impactful and visionary personalities to watch in 2025. He is also a frequent speaker at industry conferences and events, addressing topics related to generative AI, ethical AI deployment, agile methodologies, and emerging technologies.
Host
Ajay Balamurugadas is a passionate and hands-on software tester, known for his deep commitment to learning and community-driven growth. A graduate of the Problem Solving Leadership workshop and various influential testing courses like BBST by AST, Rapid Software Testing, Rapid Testing Intensive, and the Lean Software Testing Workshop, Ajay continuously invests in sharpening his skills and sharing knowledge.
Starting his career testing standalone desktop applications, Ajay quickly expanded into web and mobile application testing. His journey gained momentum as a co-founder of Weekend Testing (www.weekendtesting.com), and through initiatives like Test Maniac and collaborations with communities like The Test Tribe (https://www.thetesttribe.com).
Ajay’s concise, practical books are widely appreciated in the testing community for offering ready-to-use insights — available at bit.ly/ajleanpub and bit.ly/booksaj. His thoughts on software testing are regularly shared via his blog and Twitter.
A proud advocate of the Context-Driven Testing community, Ajay considers his induction into the Bach Brothers’ Testing Legion of Merit, his keynote at CAST 2015 (bit.ly/ajkeynote), and attending the legendary Problem Solving Leadership workshop by Jerry Weinberg and Esther Derby among his most significant professional milestones.
Beyond titles and achievements, Ajay finds the greatest fulfillment in the number of testers whose careers have been positively influenced through his mentoring, training sessions, and community involvement.
