NEHA SINGHAL

Three things: the foundation my family gave me, staying authentic, and the support system I've built.

My parents instilled the belief that education and independence were necessities, not luxuries. Being the first girl in my family to leave home taught me courage early.

I've succeeded because I refused to dim my light. I don't apologize for my accent or background. Authenticity builds trust, and trust builds teams that deliver results.

Finally, no one succeeds alone. The mentors who believed in me, colleagues who had my back, family who supported my ambitions—they're all part of this story. Now I pay it forward by mentoring others, especially women wondering if they belong.

"Build your own brand. No one will advocate for you louder than you advocate for yourself."

Early in my career, I believed hard work would get noticed. It didn't. A mentor told me: "Your work is excellent, but if you don't make it visible, it doesn't matter."

That changed everything. I started speaking up in meetings, sharing my wins, volunteering for high-visibility projects. Building your brand isn't about ego—it's about ensuring that when opportunities arise, your name is in the conversation. For women of color and immigrants, it's essential—we have to make our excellence impossible to ignore.

Be unapologetically authentic. Your accent, background, and perspective are assets, not liabilities. Bring your whole self to work.

Build technical depth, but don't stop there. Master automation and system architecture, but also learn to communicate, influence, and see the bigger picture. The best engineers are problem preventers who can articulate why quality matters.

Find your people and lift each other up. Seek mentors—both senior leaders and peers one step ahead. Join communities where you can be vulnerable and celebrate wins. When you succeed, pull someone else forward.

Don't wait for permission. If you see a problem, propose a solution. If you want to lead, start leading—even if it's a small project or mentoring one person. Leadership is a muscle you build by using it.

The biggest opportunity and challenge is artificial intelligence.

AI is revolutionizing testing. Tools like Sourcegraph Cody generate test cases 60% faster. AI analyzes code changes to predict defects and creates self-healing automation. But AI doesn't replace human judgment—it augments it. We still need engineers who understand architecture, design test strategies, and ask "what could go wrong?" in ways AI can't predict.

The shift-left movement—embedding quality earlier in development—is another major opportunity. Testing at code check-in catches issues faster and cheaper. But this requires cultural change: developers owning quality, product managers thinking about testability, and QA engineers becoming quality advocates.

There's massive opportunity for women in quality engineering. Our field values attention to detail, empathy for user experience, and collaborative problem-solving. As AI handles tactical testing, the strategic, human-centered aspects become more valuable. This is our moment to lead.

Authenticity means showing up as my whole self. I don't code-switch between "work Neha" and "home Neha." My team knows I'm a mother; my family knows I'm an engineering manager. This creates trust.

Continuous learning keeps me relevant. Every day teaches something new—exploring Agentic AI, learning from team members, or discovering approaches through production incidents. If you're not uncomfortable, you're not growing.

Lifting others as I climb is most important. I measure my impact not by the code I write but by the careers I help build. When my team members get promoted, when women I've mentored lead teams, when someone from the Indian community finds their voice—that's success.

These values connect everything—my work at Waters, my ERG leadership, my life as a mother, my passion for travel and DIY projects. Whether building automation frameworks or furniture, I stay authentic, curious, and create opportunities for others to succeed.