CRAIG RISI
SOFTWARE ENTHUSIAST / WRITER / GAME DESIGNER / SPEAKER
A man of many talents, but no sense of how to use them. Craig could be out changing the world but would prefer to make software instead. Probably the reason why Nick Fury refused to take his calls. He possesses a passion for software design, but more importantly, for software quality and for designing systems that can achieve this in a technically diverse and constantly evolving tech world.
Craig has over 20 years’ experience across the development, testing and management disciplines in a variety of software industries, but still feels he learns something new every day. It’s that continued change and evolution of the software industry which motivates him to keep learning and finding ways to improve. More than just playing with tech though, its people that make software come together – and so Craig believes in developing people and empowering them to make a success out of the software they build.
When not playing with software, he can often be found spending time with family, writing, designing board games, or running long distances for no apparent reason. He is also a massive fan of comic books and Star Wars, so if you see him concentrating intensely, he is probably just trying to use the force.
Craig is also the writer of several books and writes regular articles on his blog sites and various other tech sites around the world. He is an international speaker on a wide range of different software development topics.
02 WHAT I DO
I have the privilege of being involved in several different ventures where I can utilize my various skills and passions. Feel free to click the links below to learn more about each.
03 employment Experience
2026 - Present
Entersekt
VP Software Engineering
Lead a globally distributed team of software engineers and architects responsible for designing and delivering secure, resilient, and scalable software solutions that help keep people, businesses, and digital ecosystems safe.
In my role, I define and drive the organisation's engineering vision and strategy, fostering a culture of technical excellence, innovation, and continuous improvement. I establish and govern software engineering standards, architecture principles, and quality practices to ensure the delivery of secure, high-quality software at scale.
My role also focuses on improving engineering effectiveness by optimising software delivery, modernising engineering practices, and enhancing the overall developer experience.
By investing in engineering capability, platform maturity, and operational excellence, I enable teams to deliver value faster while maintaining the highest standards of reliability, security, and craftsmanship.
2023-2026
Old Mutual
Head of Engineering
Led Old Mutual's large and diverse engineering organisation through a significant transformation, establishing modern software engineering practices and building high-performing teams capable of delivering secure, scalable, and customer-focused technology solutions.
My responsibilities included defining the engineering strategy, setting software development standards, driving engineering excellence, and fostering a culture of innovation, continuous improvement, and technical craftsmanship. I focused on improving software delivery, solving complex organisational and technical challenges, attracting and developing exceptional engineering talent, and enabling teams to consistently deliver high-quality software that created value for both the business and its customers.
Throughout this journey, my focus was not simply on delivering technology, but on building an engineering organisation capable of sustaining innovation, adapting to change, and delivering world-class digital experiences at enterprise scale.
2021-2023
REPLGroup/Accenture
QA Architect
Led the technical vision for Quality Engineering and innovation, partnering with organisations across multiple industries to design highly testable, scalable, and resilient software systems while modernising their software delivery capabilities.
My role focused on defining enterprise quality strategies, designing robust automation frameworks, and embedding quality engineering practices into modern software development lifecycles. Working closely with clients, I helped organisations adopt cloud-native architectures, DevOps practices, continuous testing, and modern engineering approaches that improved software quality, accelerated delivery, and increased operational resilience.
As a trusted advisor, I guided engineering teams through technology transformation initiatives, helping them embrace automation, shift-left testing, cloud platforms, and engineering best practices to build sustainable, future-ready software delivery capabilities.
Alongside client engagements, I led innovation within the organisation by evaluating emerging technologies, developing new service offerings, and establishing thought leadership in Quality Engineering and test automation. A significant part of my role was dedicated to growing the company's technical capability through identifying, mentoring, and developing engineering talent, creating learning pathways, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement and technical excellence.
Serving as a recognised subject matter expert in software testing, automation, and Quality Engineering, I regularly advised clients and internal teams on engineering strategy, architecture, tooling, and modern delivery practices, helping position quality as a key driver of business success rather than simply a validation activity.
2017-2021
Allan Gray
QA Architect
Led the Quality Engineering function at Allan Gray, driving the strategy, practices, and culture required to deliver high-quality software that consistently met the expectations of clients and the business.
My responsibilities extended beyond traditional software testing to establishing quality as a shared engineering responsibility across the software delivery lifecycle. I owned the Quality Engineering strategy, including test automation frameworks, continuous integration and delivery pipelines, performance engineering, production monitoring, and end-to-end quality practices. This included embedding modern testing approaches into engineering teams and enabling faster, more reliable software delivery through automation and continuous feedback.
Alongside the technical aspects of the role, I was responsible for building and leading the Quality Engineering discipline within the organisation. This included hiring and mentoring engineers, defining career development pathways, establishing engineering standards and best practices, and fostering a culture of continuous learning, innovation, and technical excellence.
My focus was on transforming quality from a phase in the delivery process into a core engineering capability—one that empowered development teams to build resilient, scalable, and customer-centric software with confidence. By investing in people, automation, and modern engineering practices, I helped position Quality Engineering as a strategic enabler of software delivery rather than simply a gatekeeper.
2017
Amazon Web Services
Cloud Support Team Lead
Stepped beyond my Quality Engineering background to broaden my expertise in cloud computing, leading a Big Data support team responsible for delivering operational excellence for enterprise customers.
In this role, I led a team of engineers supporting large-scale cloud and data platforms, resolving complex technical challenges, improving service reliability, and ensuring high levels of customer satisfaction. The experience strengthened my leadership capabilities while providing valuable insight into cloud infrastructure, distributed systems, operational support, and the realities of running large-scale technology platforms in production.
2014-2017
ACI
Manager
Stepped into the dark realms of management because of my deep love of developing others. Led a Mobile test team for 2 years before heading up the entire automation and quality governance portfolio of the company. I also got heavily involved in Employee Engagement during this time and worked with many top executives on initiatives to improve engagement in the company.
2011-2013
ACI
Test Engineer
Got an opportunity to further enhance my automation skills and apply them to a bigger, global company where I helped manage and design an automation framework that could meet the needs of the entire company, which was used by over 300 Test Engineers.
2005-2006
Questek
Programmer
I got my start writing and developing automation systems for homes and businesses. Was responsible for designing the systems and writing the code that brought all the different embedded systems together.
2006-2011
SQS-SA
Test Consultant
My first exposure into the world of testing where I was exposed to some excellent training and support where I got to learn from many of the best in the industry. My foundation in coding allowed me to get into the test automation game early and I was responsible for the automation of many different projects for multiple clients. Developed into a senior consultant and a team lead during my time here.
04 Tech Skills
CONTACT
If you have any questions or would like my assistance with anything, please feel free to reach out to me.
I promise, me or one of the many robots under my control will contact you as soon as possible.
Alternatively, you can contact me through LinkedIn and Twitter.
