Kamalapathy Palaniappan
Tai Po,,Hong Kong
Summary
Results-driven Senior Test Manager with 18 years of extensive experience in Quality Assurance, dedicated to upholding the highest standards of excellence. Expertise in building and leading high-performing teams to deliver high-profile projects in fast-paced, challenging environments while consistently achieving exceptional outcomes. Known for cultivating positive relationships and effective communication across all organizational levels, fostering collaboration and trust. A proactive approach to new challenges, combined with a strong ability to analyze and resolve complex technical issues swiftly, ensures continued success in dynamic settings.
Overview
19
19
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Senior Technical Manager (Quality Assurance)
The Hong Kong Jockey Club
09.2022 - Current
- Collaborate with the Enterprise Data Analytics team to develop the Azure Data lake Test Approach and prepare the Test Strategy for all In-sprint testing, System Assurance and User Acceptance Testing phases of all Strategic Projects
- Discuss the project requirements with business & IT stakeholders, define the test scope, obtain Test Strategy approval, and plan for testing activities
- Designed a testing framework for data analytics services, including upstream and downstream systems integration, to optimize QA capabilities, testing operating model, as well as roles and responsibilities, processes, deliverables, templates, and tools
- Responsible for driving the use of test automation in all Strategic Projects releases
- Managing a team of twenty five offshore testers and three test leads in onshore location
- Define a test strategy and approach for the new pipeline projects in Data Analytics Services
- Creating a test estimation and obtaining approval from project stakeholders
- Assist the Testing team in creating complex Azure Databricks SQL queries for the Data Mapping's complex transformation & business rules
- Created an Automation solution for regression testing of each components (Azure Landing, Azure Staging and Azure Curated & Analytical layers) of Data lake using Pyspark & Databricks SQL
- Accountable for publishing testing daily/weekly status report to the project stakeholders and senior management
- Accountable for publishing Test summary report of all Strategic Projects
- Review vendor RFPs, evaluate vendor capabilities, interview vendor resources, and suggest vendors to my organization for testing projects
- Responsible for reducing the amount of critical severity incidents in BAU projects
- Accountable for the overall test delivery (data ingestion, data transformation, and data analytics) of all projects under Data Analytics Services
- Accountable for overall testing of the Informatica Master Data Management solution (Landing, Staging, and Base Object layers)
- Ensuring that all projects adhere to the best practices, procedures, and governance in testing
- Implementation of an effective defect management process utilizing JIRA (validation of defects, Follow-ups, verification and escalation, defect retesting until defect closure)
- Implementing / operating Test Automation and Continue Testing within a CI/CD process
- Conducted regular performance reviews for team members, setting clear expectations and providing constructive feedback to drive improvement.
Technical Manager (Quality Assurance)
The Hong Kong Jockey Club
03.2022 - 08.2022
- Collaborate with the Data Analytic and Enterprise Data Warehouse solution teams to define the EDW Test Approach and Test Strategy for all System Assurance testing activities for all Strategic Projects
- Discuss the project requirements with stakeholders, define the scope, obtain test solution approval, and plan for testing activities
- Managing data warehouse and ETL application testing for all EDW system releases in the Agile methodology
- Responsible for driving the use of test automation in EDW system releases
- Managing a team of ten offshore testers in Shenzhen and two test leads in Hong Kong locations.
- Define a test strategy and approach for the new pipeline projects in Azure Data Lake
- Setting up System Assurance team in both Shenzhen and Hong Kong locations
- Created an automation solution for production reconciliation between the current EDW and the new EDW after each deployment into production using Alteryx Designer (a Data Wrangling tool)
- Creating a test estimation and obtaining approval from project stakeholders
- Assist the Testing team in creating complex test SQL queries for the Data Mapping's complex transformation rules
- Accountable for publishing testing daily/weekly status report to the project stakeholders and senior management
- Managed implementation of new technological improvements resulting in increased efficiency.
Senior Manager
Manulife Financial Asia
12.2017 - 02.2022
- Test lead responsibility for the Manulife actuarial program (IFR4 & IFRS17) in Data & Analytics technologies on Azure Cloud based across all Asian countries.
- Accountable for a team of permanent Manulife test professionals and Test Managed Service partnership of QA & Test experts, underpinning the delivery of our Data & Analytics Portfolio.
- Collaborated with data architects, financial analysts, and regulatory teams to gather requirements and align testing strategies with business objectives.
- Created comprehensive test plans and strategies for data analytics testing in compliance with Solvency II, IFRS 4, and IFRS 17 requirements.
- Ensured the accuracy, completeness, and consistency of financial data used for regulatory reporting by implementing rigorous data quality assurance processes.
- Identified potential data quality risks associated with Solvency II and IFRS reporting, implementing mitigation strategies to ensure compliance.
- Designed and executed detailed test cases to validate data integrity and accuracy across various financial reporting systems.
- Responsible for Test Management, Test Scheduling, Project Tracking and Test Defect Management & Information reports
- Responsible for various levels of testing such as System/Component Testing, System Integration Testing, Regression Testing & User Acceptance Testing.
- Managed and tracked defects identified during testing, ensuring timely resolution and conducting regression testing as necessary.
- Monitor the performance of Test Team members and developing the team members to bring up performance bar.
- Coach project teams on Testing best practice throughout the lifecycle.
- Contributed to the continuous improvement of testing methodologies and processes, enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of data validation efforts.
- Delivered end-to-end testing for IFRS 4 and IFRS 17 projects across the Philippines, Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia, Japan, Vietnam, China, and Malaysia.
Manager
Cognizant Technology Solutions
07.2013 - 11.2017
- Test Deliver manager responsibilities in Data & Analytics practice such as
- Establishing testing governance model for clients
- Enhance Client Relationship and establish communication model
- Setting up System Integration team in Big Data technologies and team structures
- Data & Analytics business development and key accountable for testing projects and test deliverables
- Establishing Quality gates
- Identify the area of automation and provide design on Automation in data testing for various clients
- Setting up Test Strategies / Test Plan in Big Data platform
- Cross-trained existing employees to maximize team agility and performance.
- Maximized performance by monitoring daily activities and mentoring team members.
- Managed and motivated employees to be productive and engaged in work.
Senior Associate
Cognizant Technology Solutions
01.2009 - 06.2013
- Test Lead responsibilities in Data & Analytics projects such as
- Participate in workshop to understand business requirements and scope
- Preparing and Obtaining Sign-off for Master Test Plan and End of Test report
- Setup meetings with QA and SME for analyzing phases of the project and reviewing the requirements.
- Discuss with stakeholders, understand the project requirements, define the scope, obtain the Test solution sign off and plan for testing activities
- Preparing project estimations, and obtaining SME review
- Identifying test data needs and coordinated in getting data loaded into the test environment.
- Implementing effective defect management process
- Preparation of complex SQL queries based on transformation rules specified in ETL mapping document
- Preparation of SQL queries for the Cognos report validation
- Designed the approach for the automation of recurring scenarios in ETL testing using VB script
- Accountable for publishing weekly status reports to stakeholders, senior management, cost saving report for the project as a result of risk based testing exercise.
Senior Test Engineer
Navagate Software Pvt Ltd
07.2007 - 12.2008
- Understanding business requirements and raise clarifications with Business Analyst’s, test plan creation, test scenario identification, test script creation, test case design, test execution, regression suite preparation, defect management, test summary report & UAT support.
- Management of Requirements Traceability Matrix
- Responsible for guiding the offshore team and coordination between offshore and onsite counterparts.
- Verify the extracted data from source system, validate the staging layers for its transformation logic and verify the data finally loaded in the target system
- Validate the data feed files for its business requirements.
- Validate the end reports for its business requirements in Cognos and OBIEE
- Hosting the defect triage meetings, test execution status meetings along with regular communications with project stakeholders.
- Involved in Root cause analysis of defects, errors and inconsistencies in the data flow
Software Engineer
Hexaware Technologies
08.2006 - 04.2007
- Work with Business analyst on analyzing and understanding the requirements
- Preparation of Test Plan and Test Strategy document for releases, gets it reviewed by required stake holders
- Plan and organize the knowledge transfer
- Preparation of RTM
- Verify the extracted data from source system, validate the staging layers for its transformation logic and verify the data finally loaded in the target system
- Management of Requirements Traceability Matrix through Test Director (HP ALM)
- Execution of test cases & management of defects in Test Director (HP ALM) through its life cycle
- Regular communication/meeting/discussion with onsite counterparts, account stakeholders and SMEs
Education
Bachelor of Engineering - Chemical
Bharathiar University
Coimbatore, Tamilnadu, IndiaSkills
- Data analysis
- ETL and BI testing
- Big data analytics
- Experience with Databricks and Synapse
- Data analysis and reporting
- Quality assurance oversight
- Test strategy development
- Autosys management proficiency
- Informatica and Unix skills
- Azure cloud platform proficiency
- Data quality management
- Proficient in Alation catalog
- Data analysis and visualization
- HiveQL and HDFS experience
- Oracle database proficiency
- Team leadership
- Alteryx workflow development
- Solvency II reporting
- Knowledge of IFRS 4 and 17 regulations
- PAS
- Data-driven decision making
- Effective task prioritization
- Effective schedule coordination
- Calibration of test equipment
- Effective relationship management
- Team leadership
Accomplishments
- Information Systems Examination Board – International S/W Test Quality Board (ISEB- ISTQB) - Foundation level
- Databricks Certified Data Analyst Associate
- Academy Accreditation - Databricks Lakehouse Fundamentals
- Received Stars of Excellence award for the outstanding performance from Manulife (International) Limited
- Received Award of Excellence for the outstanding performance from The Hartford Financial Services Group
KEY STATISTICS
- 18 years of experience in Quality Assurance and Data & Analytics
- 25+ team members managed across offshore and onshore locations
- Worked in 4 countries: India, UK, Hong Kong, USA
- Experience across key organizations, including Manulife, Citi Bank, AXA, and The Hong Kong Jockey Club
- Delivered testing for projects across 8+ countries in Asia
- Led QA for 10+ strategic data analytics projects
- Built and managed QA teams in 4 locations: India, Hong Kong, UK, USA
- Reduced regression testing time by 40% through automation (PySpark, Databricks SQL)
- Published 100+ test reports for senior stakeholders
- Certified in 3 industry-recognized programs: ISTQB, Databricks Analyst, Lakehouse Fundamentals
Certification
Databricks Certified Data Analyst Associate
Information Systems Examination Board – International S/W Test Quality Board (ISEB‑ ISTQB) ‑ Foundation level
Languages
English
Advanced (C1)
German
Elementary (A2)
Tamil
Bilingual or Proficient (C2)
Timeline
Senior Technical Manager (Quality Assurance)
The Hong Kong Jockey Club
09.2022 - Current
Technical Manager (Quality Assurance)
The Hong Kong Jockey Club
03.2022 - 08.2022
Senior Manager
Manulife Financial Asia
12.2017 - 02.2022
Manager
Cognizant Technology Solutions
07.2013 - 11.2017
Senior Associate
Cognizant Technology Solutions
01.2009 - 06.2013
Senior Test Engineer
Navagate Software Pvt Ltd
07.2007 - 12.2008
Software Engineer
Hexaware Technologies
08.2006 - 04.2007
Bachelor of Engineering - Chemical
Bharathiar University
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