Joanna Negler - The art of keeping going
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Locked
CEO & Founder at Ministry of Testing
QA Manager
Talk Description
In this episode of Leading with Quality, Rosie Sherry speaks with Joanna Negler, Quality Assurance Manager at Equus Software, about the art of leading with persistence, empathy, and pragmatism in long-term quality journeys.
Joanna shares her two-decade journey at Equus, from developer to quality leader, and how her background in development, anthropology, and testing has shaped a holistic approach to software quality. Together, Rosie and Joanna explore what it means to “keep going” when building a culture of quality, especially in teams navigating growth, global collaboration, and the pressures of automation.
They discuss how embedding QA within teams helped Equus strengthen shared ownership of quality, why sustainable progress often means doing a little at a time, and how learning and leadership intertwine when quality is treated as everyone’s responsibility. Joanna also reflects on the realities of automation and AI, emphasising the importance of curiosity, critical thinking, and human connection in testing work.
You’ll hear about:
- Joanna’s transition from developer to quality leader and how it shaped her perspective
- Building shared ownership of quality across distributed teams
- Lessons from successes and struggles with automation and efficiency
- How continuous learning fuels both quality and career growth
- Using empathy and communication to influence without authority
- A balanced, human view of AI as an assistive tool for testers
If you’re interested in how long-term commitment, curiosity, and care can drive meaningful quality leadership, this episode offers a grounded and thoughtful take on sustaining quality through change.
