Graham Smith - SVP, European Business

1. How long have you worked in testing?

I have worked in testing for 24 years - my first testing project was in 1984 on a green screen insurance system. Much of my background is in the life assurance market and along the way I have become more involved in large testing programmes and testing strategy to support business transformation..

2. What do you hope to achieve in your new role as SVP European Business?

I have several objectives for this new role:

1. Grow existing relationships
2. Win and develop new business relationships
3. Continue to meet and exceed client expectations on existing programs of work

All of this is with a view to achieving a sustainable, efficient and profitable European business with a happy and satisfied workforce.

3. What challenges/opportunities is the testing industry currently facing as a result of the global economic situation?

There are many clients in the current situation who are looking to save costs. As a result, they are cutting testing expenditure to save money. What this does, however, is increase risk as when they release a system full of defects it damages their reputation, costs much more to put right and can lead to a loss in customer base.

Our challenge and our opportunity therefore go hand in hand. We need to make organizations realize that if they invest more in testing up front, it can save time and money on the project lifecycle and can also save money post release. Making organizations understand that is the hard part!

The offshore story is now more pertinent too - if you are looking to reduce costs then offshoring your testing is a great way of doing this without compromising on quality.

Testing should be on the agenda of all CEOs and CIOs so they realise the benefits of testing earlier. It should be seen as a business imperative in this troubled time to save unnecessary expenditure further down the line.

4. How do you see the testing industry evolving over the next 5 years?

I believe there will be a lot of consolidation of key players in the marketplace. Also, the current economic climate is going to change the face of the industry. There is pressure being placed to develop long term relationships whilst continuing to deliver value to clients - there will be more focus on the partnership approach.