From Testing to Transformation: Harini Shankar on Leading with Purpose in Tech

As part of our International Women’s Day Experiences Panel, we had the privilege of speaking with Harini Shankar, a seasoned technology leader whose journey from automation engineer to enterprise transformation strategist is nothing short of inspiring. With over 15 years of experience in test automation, cloud-native quality assurance, and RegTech systems, Harini has impacted mission-critical platforms across financial and healthcare sectors most notably through her work at a major U.S. regulatory organization, where her automation leadership supports compliance for thousands of firms and over 600,000 registered professionals.

In this spotlight interview, Harini reflects on her leadership philosophy, technical contributions, and her ongoing mission to empower more women to step into technical and strategic leadership roles.

WIDD: Harini, would you introduce yourself for those who may not know you?

Harini: Thank you so much. I’m Harini Shankar, and I currently serve as Director of Technology, specializing in test automation, compliance validation, and enterprise quality engineering. Over the years, I’ve led high-impact modernization initiatives in both the financial and healthcare sectors—including platforms used by regulators, brokerage firms, and health insurers nationwide.

My work centers on building trust in systems not just testing software. I believe quality assurance is foundational to regulatory resilience, and I’m passionate about using technology to create secure, scalable systems that serve the public good.

WIDD: What would you say is your most impactful contribution to date?

Harini: One of the most transformative projects I’ve led is the development of the Unified Regression Suite (URS) a modular automation framework used across more than 25 enterprise platforms. It now supports over 38,000 automated tests, helping reduce release risk, validate compliance, and enable faster, high quality deployments.

At FINRA, URS underpins digital platforms that support over 600,000 financial professionals and thousands of regulated firms. Similarly, in healthcare roles at Inovalon and Evolent Health, I led QA initiatives that helped reduce manual testing by 70%, strengthened CMS compliance, and improved healthcare data integrity for millions of patients.

These aren’t just engineering achievements they’re systems that enable secure access, regulatory transparency, and confidence in high-stakes sectors.

WIDD: How has your leadership driven innovation and organizational change?

Harini: When I stepped into my leadership role, many platforms operated in silos with fragmented test strategies, limited automation, and ad hoc risk tracking. I introduced a scalable QA governance model that helped unify our approach across platforms.

This included creating centralized dashboards to monitor test coverage, defect trends, and release velocity; establishing shift-left security practices that caught vulnerabilities early; and launching frameworks for accessibility, performance, and visual testing.

Beyond tooling, I also built second-level leadership within my team mentoring automation engineers into leads, coaching on architecture, and embedding quality ownership across product teams. These strategies improved stability, shortened release cycles, and created a sustainable culture of excellence.

WIDD: Can you share a mentoring moment that impacted you personally?

Harini: Absolutely. I’ve mentored many women in tech, and a common thread I see is the hesitation to be visible. Many talented engineers hold back from speaking, writing, or putting themselves forward.

One mentee I worked with had incredible technical depth but lacked confidence in her voice. Through regular sessions, we worked on public speaking and storytelling, and she eventually led a demo at a major company town hall. That moment was powerful for both of us.

It reminded me that mentoring isn’t just about skills it’s about unlocking belief. That’s why I encourage all women in tech to own their stories, speak up, and lead visibly.

WIDD: Looking ahead, what change do you hope to see in the industry?

Harini: We’ve made strides, but inclusion in high-stakes technical fields like regulatory tech, DevOps, and security still has gaps. I want to see more women leading infrastructure, engineering strategy, and compliance platforms.

What gives me hope is the momentum of communities like WIDD. We need more spaces that normalize women as architects, directors, CTOs—not exceptions, but expectations.

With stronger pipelines, mentoring, and representation, I truly believe the next decade can usher in a more inclusive and equity-driven tech ecosystem.

WIDD: And finally, what’s your advice for emerging tech leaders?

Harini: Your technical skills are your foundation but influence, visibility, and impact are how you lead.

In my own career, I stepped out of traditional QA roles and into automation strategy, mentorship, and public thought leadership. I spoke at conferences, published articles, judged hackathons, and reviewed scholarly papers all while scaling engineering excellence behind the scenes.

So don’t just be excellent be visible. Speak. Mentor. Write. Take space. That’s how we build confidence, credibility, and collective progress for the women coming after us.

In doing so, I’ve found that these activities not only accelerated engineering excellence in high-stakes environments they also helped shape best practices across teams, conferences, and global quality communities.