Top Women Speakers for Test Conferences

"We have more women in testing than almost anywhere in tech.
And yet our stages look like a boys' club." - Richard Seidl

 

I'm grateful for every keynote and conference invitation I get. But often when I get booked and see the final lineup I see... a lot of old white guys like me. What I don't understand: software testing is one of the areas in tech where we actually have strong representation of women. They're in our teams. They run quality departments. They write the books we learn from. They do fundamental work in exploratory testing, automation, AI testing, and community building.

So please, dear conference organisers and program committees: Book more women. Not for the quota, but because they have something to say. When I speak to organisers and program committees I often get the reply: "But whom?" or "They didn't participate in the CfP!" No problem – here is a starting point.

Help Me Grow This List

If you know a woman who speaks – or wants to speak – about testing on conference stages: let me know, I will add her to the list: office@richard-seidl.com

Get on the stage!

And if you're a woman in testing thinking about getting on stage for the first time: do it. The community needs your voice. Contact me for contacts and a free coaching on how to apply to conferences or get in touch with organisers and program committees: office@richard-seidl.com

The List of Female Testing Speakers

This is a curated list, not a ranking. I'm sure I've missed people. Help me fix that.

  • Emna Ayadi (Tunisia, Languages: en)
  • Lisa Crispin (United States, Languages: en)
  • Klaudia Dussa-Zieger (Germany, Languages: de, en)
  • Jutta Eckstein (Germany, Languages: de, en)
  • Isabel Evans (United Kingdom)
  • Marta Firlej (Poland, Languages: en)
  • Lilia Gargouri (Germany, Languages: de, en)
  • Clara Ramos González (Spain, Languages: en, es, it)
    Quality Leadership & QA Strategy, Modern QA & Testing Evolution, People Leadership in Tech, Conscious Tech & Wellbeing in Engineering
  • Andrea Jensen (Germany), Languages: de, en
  • Anne Kramer (Germany, Languages: de)
  • Sophie Küster (Germany, Languages: de, en)
  • Cassandra H. Leung (Germany, Languages: en)
    Exploratory testing, adding and demonstrating value, human-centered quality engineering
  • Sonja Nešić (Netherlands, Languages: en)
  • Katja Obring (United Kingdom, Languages: en, de)
    AI evaluation, process quality, rigour in technical decision-making, evaluating AI tools
  • Gitte Ottosen (Denmark, Languages: en)
  • Christina Pinto (Germany, Languages: de, en)
  • Laveena Ramchandani (United Kingdom, Languages: en, es)
    Leadership in the time of AI
    Accessibility testing (including Ai) 
    Future skills for engineering 
  • Alexandra Schladebeck (Germany, Languages: de, en)
    Leadership and Strategy, Agility, Quality, Mental Health
  • Maud Schlich (Germany, Languages: de, en)
    Putting test theory into practice, testing techniques, risk-based test management in agile and regulated environments, reviews
  • Dehla Sokenou (Germany, Languages: de)
  • Irja Straus (Croatia, Languages: en, hr)
  • Maryia Tuleika (Sweden, Languages: en, sv)
    AI security,  Responsible AI, Leadership and communication
  • Sanne Visser (Netherlands, Languages: en)
  • Linda van de Vooren (Netherlands, Languages: en, nl)
    Mental health, Testing Foundationals, Test Automation at Organisational Level, Communication Strategies
  • Tanja Vos (Spain, Languages: en)
  • Tara Walton (United States, Languages: en)