Hema Shantharam, PMP® hails from Bangalore. A Computer Science Engineer by qualification, she also has two Management degrees under her belt - MPWE from IIM Bangalore and EGPM from IIM Lucknow . She is  Start-up mentor at Nasscom and Sheroes  and has  completed the prestigious Goldman Sachs Program at IIM Bangalore. She is also completed W3C program from IIM Kashipur.
In her corporate journey spanning more than two decades, Hema has worked for leading global IT Product and Services based companies including Sonata Software, Wipro Technologies, SAP Labs India, Infosys and Mphasis. She has managed many large Programs for these firms in multiple domains across multiple geographies across India, USA, EU and APAC markets.

She played leadership roles in Product management, Marketing, Consulting, Business development, Global service delivery, Skill development and Test Management. She has successfully delivered many large testing-based projects across domains including Banking, Telecom, E-commerce, Retail, Insurance, AFS, Oil and Gas, Hi-tech and Finance.

Hema has worked at very large-scale projects at Wipro UK, US and Germany was always part of strategic projects in her carrier which has helped her to develop her skills in all aspects of project management, Risk mitigation, strategy management.

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SAP Advisor :

Anantha Padmanabha GS Executive Coach, Business Leader, Software Product Innovator & Trusted Advisor and Client Advocate. 24+ years of industry expertise in various Leadership positions, with close to 17 years with SAP Labs.

Recognized expertise in Innovation Governance, Product Management and Development, Design Thinking, Lean Management, Strategic Quality, Organizational Change, Business Transformation, Solution Architecture and Solution governance, Product Analytics and in building and managing Enterprise Applications in the areas of Human capital Management, HR processes, HR Analytics, Digital Transformation, SAP Process Frameworks.

Currently consults and advises customers on SAP Implementations, HR Enterprise Applications, Strategic Quality, Innovation Governance, Design Thinking, Strategy, Digital Transformation, Organization Change & Transformation, HCM Products and Process Evaluation.

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Testing Advisor :

Srinivasan Desikan is a seasoned professional in software engineering, with extensive experience in product development, testing, and production support. Since beginning his career in product development in 1989, Desikan has established himself as a leader in building technical teams and advocating for startups. He is recognized for his hands-on approach and expertise in various technical domains.

Desikan is the acclaimed author of "Software Testing: Principles & Practices," a bestseller that underscores his deep knowledge and contributions to the field. Throughout his illustrious career, he has held board positions in numerous Indian companies, showcasing his leadership and strategic insight. His innovative spirit is evidenced by his authorship of two patents—one filed and another published—highlighting his contributions to the advancement of software engineering.

His dedication to education and skill development is demonstrated through his development of courseware as part of the pedagogy initiative by the HRD Ministry of the Government of India. For his significant contributions to both academia and the industry, especially in software testing, he was honored with the "Thought Leadership" Award by Test2009.in.

As a founding member of the STeP-In Forum, Desikan plays a crucial role in organizing international conferences on testing, furthering his commitment to the professional community. He also contributes to the academic world as a visiting professor and syllabus committee member at three premier institutes in Tamilnadu and Karnataka, influencing the next generation of software engineers.

Desikan's areas of expertise include:

• Quality Engineering

• Software Testing

• Product Development

• Product/Production Support

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