Matthew Whitaker: The spare QA: Is quality on the move?
24th July 2025
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Rosie Sherry
CEO & Founder at Ministry of Testing
Matthew Whitaker
QA Team Lead
Talk Description
In this episode of Leading With Quality, Rosie Sherry sits down with Matthew Whitaker, QA Team Lead at fintech company Lendvy, where he’s helped shape modern quality practices across five product teams.
They discuss how titles like “lead” over “manager” can change team dynamics, why autonomy fuels quality thinking, and how Matthew balances legacy systems with modern automation. He shares how he built a scalable QA function from scratch, introduced shift-left practices, and created space for a “spare QA” to support and coach across teams.
You’ll hear about:
- How leadership titles shape team relationships
- Why autonomy and early involvement strengthen quality outcomes
- The role of a floating QA in connecting teams and knowledge
- Practical insights from modernising legacy automation
- Ways to build and rebuild confidence across a QA team
- Thoughts on technical skills, AI adoption, and navigating change
This is a conversation for quality leaders seeking to grow influence, adapt with intention, and support resilient teams.
I've been working in the software testing and quality engineering space since the year 2000 whilst also combining it with my love for education and community building.
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QA professional with 9+ years in various industries. I enjoying implementing testing frameworks in manual and automated testing. Passionate about collaboration and improvement
I've been working in the software testing and quality engineering space since the year 2000 whilst also combining it with my love for education and community building.
QA professional with 9+ years in various industries. I enjoying implementing testing frameworks in manual and automated testing. Passionate about collaboration and improvement
