Working as a Release Train Engineer | Agile Release and Test Manager at Fonterra.Responsibilities:- Manage various release trains from an Agile Coaching, Release Management and Test Management perspective

Digital Test Lead – Foodstuffs (July 2022 to November 2023):Led 5 Agile squads (12 testers) in Agile Testing for development in the Customer Products Value Stream. Responsibilities included Agile ceremonies participation, test planning, upskilling testers, and supporting BRP sessions. Managed End2End testing for large initiatives, collaborating with cross-functional teams. Acted as Scrum Master when needed.Initiated test improvement initiatives:* Developed a test maturity… Show more Digital Test Lead – Foodstuffs (July 2022 to November 2023):Led 5 Agile squads (12 testers) in Agile Testing for development in the Customer Products Value Stream. Responsibilities included Agile ceremonies participation, test planning, upskilling testers, and supporting BRP sessions. Managed End2End testing for large initiatives, collaborating with cross-functional teams. Acted as Scrum Master when needed.Initiated test improvement initiatives:* Developed a test maturity framework, identified improvements, and implemented actions* Presented BDD training to squads* Evaluated mobile test automation tools and improved automation reporting* Standardized Jira test case creation, created guidelines for browser and device testing* Created a Shift-left strategy for web testing* Increased automated regression coverage from 40% to 80%* Reviewed and refined the master regression suite* Gathered requirements for test management tool replacement* Implemented a knowledge transfer program for enduring IPTest Programme Manager – 2Degrees (Feb 2021 – May 2022):Managed Wireless Broadband Programme, delivering three streams of work on Siebel CRM platform. Oversaw a team of 10 testers and collaborated with internal and offshore stakeholders. Provided insights into quality, managed risks and issues, and contributed to overall successful program delivery.Key deliverables included test strategies, plans, reporting, risk management, and defect triage. Actively managed and guided the test team, ensuring alignment with project objectives.Principal Consultant – Assurity (Sept 2018 – January 2024):Business development, client relationships, and RFP contributions. Presented at conferences, provided training on industry trends, and built internal capabilities. Acted as scrum master, mentor, and coach for consultants. Worked on client projects, including test automation for NZ Blood and Auckland Transport, and developing a test strategy for Southern Cross Health Insurance. Show less

As the Quality Assurance Manager, I led the successful delivery of testing and quality assurance initiatives for both in-house developed systems and vendor package implementations. This encompassed comprehensive test management, including planning, execution, monitoring, reporting, and defect management across various testing phases such as system testing (manual, automated, and performance testing), integration testing, User Acceptance Testing (UAT), regression testing, and production… Show more As the Quality Assurance Manager, I led the successful delivery of testing and quality assurance initiatives for both in-house developed systems and vendor package implementations. This encompassed comprehensive test management, including planning, execution, monitoring, reporting, and defect management across various testing phases such as system testing (manual, automated, and performance testing), integration testing, User Acceptance Testing (UAT), regression testing, and production verification testing.The scope of my role extended to vendor management, stakeholder engagement, and coordination with geo-distributed teams, ensuring seamless integration within the Bank's broader ecosystem and infrastructure. As the overall Quality Assurance manager, I provided strategic oversight to test managers and teams, concurrently serving as the Test Programme Manager for a specific application area.In addition to these responsibilities, I managed resource planning, capability building, and performance management of staff, along with contract management. I played a pivotal role in developing the overall test strategy for functional, automation, and performance testing. Furthermore, I oversaw delivery and release management, planning and coordinating the deployment of 12 major releases annually into production.With a test team of 20 professionals, I navigated a hybrid development/release approach, incorporating both Agile and Waterfall methodologies to adapt to the evolving needs of the organization. My role required a balance of strategic leadership, effective management of testing processes, and collaboration with diverse stakeholders to ensure the successful delivery of high-quality software releases. Show less

Worked as a Test Consultant and Service Engineer for a test consulting company in South Africa, serving clients across diverse sectors such as mining, telecoms, banking, insurance, and food and beverage.In the role of Test Consultant – Service Engineer:Led the internal development of test methodologies and designed processes, establishing test frameworks for both Agile and Waterfall approaches within the software development life cycle (SDLC).As a Test Consultant for a… Show more Worked as a Test Consultant and Service Engineer for a test consulting company in South Africa, serving clients across diverse sectors such as mining, telecoms, banking, insurance, and food and beverage.In the role of Test Consultant – Service Engineer:Led the internal development of test methodologies and designed processes, establishing test frameworks for both Agile and Waterfall approaches within the software development life cycle (SDLC).As a Test Consultant for a Mining Supplies Company in Australia (consulting from South Africa):Developed and implemented a comprehensive master test plan, test approach, and strategy, along with test processes, templates, and checklists.As a Test Consultant in the Financial Services Industry in South Africa:Established testing processes and tools for a banking client using an Agile approach to software development.As a Test Consultant in the Short-Term Insurance sector in South Africa:Established test processes, performed test tool configuration, and reporting using ALM, SQL, and Excel VBA.As a Test Manager in the Food and Beverage sector (consulting from South Africa to the USA):Managed a large-scale testing project for a US-based client, overseeing the rollout of SAP HR and MyHR portal to 57 countries.Developed test plans for the initial two releases, leading a team of testers locally and in the USA. Successfully transitioned the Test Manager role to the US-based counterpart. Show less

Managed own full service digital agency specialising in Web development, Internet Marketing and SEO (Search Engine Optimisation). Specialised in Joomla, Wordpress, PHP and CakePHP (MVC framework) for web development.Developed training and gave courses in Joomla, SEO, HTML and CSS.Gave training on SQL, Testing (ISTQB preparation) and Data Modelling through Softrain Consultants.

Senior Project Manager and Senior Test Manager for various retail banking projects.Also release manager for retail branch systems for a period of 2 yearsManager in Test Centre of Excellence (resources, tools, processes)