Avocado Consulting has appointed Abitha Arunachalam as Test Automation Practice Lead, expanding its Automation and AI Testing services across Australia.
Abitha Arunachalam, an AI and hyperautomation specialist, will lead the company's efforts to advance its AI-driven quality assurance offerings as a separate practice. The hiring move is intended to strengthen Avocado's commitment to enhancing software development processes using emerging technologies.
Jane Robinson, Chief Operating Officer of Avocado, highlighted the significance of the appointment for the company's strategic direction in testing. "Avocado is proud to continually respond to the changing technology landscape and client needs, by adding hyperautomation and AI testing to our toolkit," said Jane Robinson.
Robinson elaborated on the shift in approach within software testing due to advancements in artificial intelligence. "The evolution of software testing to AI-based testing is now an undeniable critical step in enhancing software quality, accelerating release cycles, and empowering engineering teams," she said.
The company has deliberately structured its testing functions to distinguish between traditional and AI-enabled practices. "By distinguishing between our Testing and Automation Testing practices, Avocado ensures focused expertise in each area, enabling the delivery of tailored solutions that meet the evolving needs of clients in a dynamic technology landscape," Robinson stated.
Robinson also commented on the new appointment's expected impact on the company's direction and capabilities. "We are confident that Abitha's addition to our team which will position Avocado for success as we embrace the growing prominence of AI in testing," she said. "Her leadership and innovative approach will help us continue to deliver exceptional value to our clients," she added.
Abitha Arunachalam brings more than 15 years of experience in test management, quality assurance, and automation to her new role. Her career has spanned several sectors, including energy, e-commerce, banking, gaming, healthcare, and education. Her skill set covers strategic QA leadership, automation and DevOps transformation, Agile and QA scaling, risk and stakeholder management, and operational excellence.
She is recognised as a thought leader in her field, having spoken at numerous industry events and community meetups on subjects such as testing large language models, detecting and mitigating hallucinations in LLMs, and trends in hyperautomation for test automation. Arunachalam holds a Master of Computer Applications and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science.
Abitha Arunachalam expressed enthusiasm about her new responsibilities at Avocado. "I am excited to bring my deep expertise in automation and AI to significantly enhance Avocado's service offerings and support the company's mission to deliver innovative solutions with certainty that meet the evolving needs of our clients," she said.
She commented on the broader impact of AI-based methods on the field. "AI-driven testing goes beyond automation, offering proactive and predictive capabilities that significantly improve quality and reliability of deliverables," said Abitha Arunachalam.
On the subject of large language models and their influence on industry practices, Arunachalam said, "The integration of AI, particularly Large Language Models (LLMs), into software testing is transforming the industry. LLMs can automate the creation of unit, functional, and security tests through natural language prompts, providing alerts for potential code vulnerabilities and enhancing overall software quality. This approach not only accelerates the testing process but also improves accuracy and coverage, leading to more robust and reliable software products," she said.
Avocado Consulting, established in 2004, has transitioned from focusing solely on manual testing to encompassing AI-powered quality assurance and a suite of IT services that include observability and security.
