CRAIG RISI
SOFTWARE ARCHITECT / WRITER / GAME DESIGNER / SPEAKER
Software Architect by day, writer, and game designer by night. I wanted to be a superhero, but Nick Fury rejected my application. So, while I may not be able to save the world on a daily basis, I can change it one step at a time by changing the way we build software. Though I have varying technical expertise I specialize in software quality and test automation, through a combination of both technical and interpersonal skills.
When not working on one of my initiatives, I can also be found enjoying time with my family, exploring this beautiful world, and running long distances for no good reason.
02 WHAT I DO
I have the privilege of being involved in several different ventures where I can utilize my various skills and passions. Feel free to click the links below to learn more about each.
03 employment Experience
2023-Present
Old Mutual
Head of Engineering
Leading Old Mutual's large and diverse software engineering teams on a path to cutting-edge software development practices. My roles entail defining software engineering best practices, driving software improvement, problem solving and innovation, securing and retaining the best talent, and ultimately enabling teams to deliver the best software for Old Mutual and its clients.
Old Mutual is one of Africa's largest financial companies and we are actively building it into the IFS of the future, modernizing It systems and building proficiencies across the different engineering disciplines of Software, Platform, Quality, DevSecOPs, and data.
2021-2023
REPLGroup/Accenture
QA Architect
Design high quality, testable systems and robust automation frameworks for clients across a variety of industries. This includes moving clients don't the latest cloud-driven technologies and helping them to adopt the latest in software development technologies and approaches.
Part of role includes the discovery and development of testing talent within the company and serving as an expert in the testing and automation profession.
2017
Amazon Web Services
Cloud Support Team Lead
Stepped out of my testing comfort zone to learn more about the exciting world of cloud computing where I led a Big Data support team, solving various challenges for many of their big customers.
2011-2013
ACI
Test Engineer
Got an opportunity to further enhance my automation skills and apply them to a bigger, global company where I helped manage and design an automation framework that could meet the needs of the entire company, which was used by over 300 Test Engineers.
2014-2017
ACI
Manager
Stepped into the dark realms of management because of my deep love of developing others. Led a Mobile test team for 2 years before heading up the entire automation and quality governance portfolio of the company. I also got heavily involved in Employee Engagement during this time and worked with many top executives on initiatives to improve engagement in the company.
2017-2021
Allan Gray
QA Architect
Taking full responsibility for quality and software testing at Allan Gray, ensuring that we design software that meets the expectations of our clients. This includes ownership of the automation frameworks, delivery pipelines, monitoring, performance and full-stack test approach.
My position is not all technical though as I serve as a hiring and line manager responsible for developing the test engineering discipline within the organisation.
2005-2006
Questek
Programmer
I got my start writing developing automation systems for homes and businesses. Was responsible for designing the system and writing the code that brought all the different embedded systems together.
2006-2011
SQS-SA
Test Consultant
My first exposure into the world of testing where I was exposed to some excellent training and support where I got to learn from many of the best in the industry. My foundation in coding allowed me to get into the test automation game early and I was responsible for the automation of many different projects for multiple clients. Developed into a senior consultant and a team lead during my time here.
04 Tech Skills
CONTACT
If you have any questions or would like my assistance with anything, please feel free to reach out to me.
I promise, me or one of the many robots under my control will contact you as soon as possible.
Alternatively, you can contact me through LinkedIn and Twitter.