Makarand Teje - Chief Operating Officer

1. Do you have previous experience in the testing market?

Yes, my prior work experience ranges from advisory through to implementation of enterprise-wide initiatives covering IT development, maintenance, testing, infrastructure as well as business process outsourcing for global 1000 corporations.

2. AppLabs began as a small Philadelphia start up a few years ago: what's your vision for the company's culture now that you are leading efforts?

By launching our new brand identity and refining our values we have helped to scale our business and attain consistent client satisfaction. My vision is to keep the same value system alive as we lead our way to become the largest independent testing provider in the world.

3. As the COO of AppLabs, what do you think are the biggest challenges facing a global corporation with major offices in the US, India and Europe?

A global delivery model brings its own set of advantages as well as challenges to work with. Some of the biggest hurdles for Major Corporations to surpass are;

  • Choosing between centralization and decentralization of labor intensive functions
  • Looking for ways to reduce time to market as well as cost of development and testing for business-critical information systems
  • Creating a leadership talent pipeline that can relate to cultural, social and business issues in true global context
  • Creating a corporate governance infrastructure that respects the law of the land in each global location
  • Managing the cultural continuity of a global workforce so they can understand and relate to the corporate value system

4. What do you think is the hottest topic facing the testing industry at the moment?

As more and more business processes are integrated in information platforms, businesses are demanding a consistent and unbiased approach to testing. AppLabs' undivided focus on this field often enables it to deliver results in excess of clients’ expectations. Today we are able to relate the test deficiency as well as efficiency directly to business gain or loss in areas ranging from airline reservation systems to insurance claims processing systems.


5. From a personal standpoint what prompted you to join a smaller niche player like AppLabs after years working for giant Wipro?

AppLabs' testing focus has proven very well as it approaches team size of over 2000 associates, globally making it one of the largest independent testing providers in the world. The entrepreneurial and performance driven culture, dynamic leadership team and backing of Sequoia prompted me to take on this challenge as I see some significant opportunities for value creation from a customer, as well as an investor perspective.


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What our clients say

“AppLabs understands our business and what we are aiming to achieve. Our relationship is a true partnership where goals and objectives are shared and AppLabs provides innovative approaches and solutions to meet these.”

Geoff Hunkin
Director of Delivery (Information Solutions Division), Experian

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