About Me
I build and lead systems where reliability isn't a goal - it's the architecture.
I'm Kinchit Gauswami, a Senior Manager in QA/QC at CIBC with deep experience across banking, aviation, and telecommunications. I specialize in middleware quality, automation at scale, distributed systems, and high-performance engineering teams.
My work sits behind experiences you use every day - account updates, authentication events, profile changes, customer alerts - the non-financial transactions that keep a bank alive.
I lead the QA strategy for 1500+ APIs, across dozens of business units, enabled by a 22-member global team spread across Toronto and India.
But my story isn't just about testing. It's about systems thinking, leadership, building tools, and solving the problems that most people don't even see.
What I Do Today
At CIBC, I own the quality strategy for the Shared Services middleware - the integration layer connecting channels to core banking. That means:
Designing test strategies for every SOAP service behind non-financial transactions
Driving automation across a massive surface area (1500+ endpoints)
Running a high-performing QA organization across two continents
Partnering with architects and dev leads to make quality a first-class capability
Leading Agile/DevOps transformation efforts
Steering release readiness, risk assessment, triage, and production validation
Ensuring quality is not reactive but predictable, measurable, and engineered
Managing budgets, resource planning, and vendor oversight across the platform
I bridge technology, delivery, and leadership.
I translate failures into patterns, patterns into systems, and systems into reliability.
How I Think
I see quality as a design discipline.
Most people treat QA as the safety net at the end.
I treat it as a structural property of the system.
To me, quality means:
Understanding architecture deeply
Anticipating failure modes across distributed systems
Reducing risk early through clarity, data, and communication
Empowering teams - not policing them
Using automation as leverage, not as a checkbox
Building culture, not processes
The best QA teams don't find more bugs - they prevent them.
Career Journey
A Decade of Roles, Growth, and Impact
Senior Manager, QA/QC
CIBC
•2020 - Present
Leading the global QA strategy for the bank's middleware. Managing 22 engineers. Owning 1500+ APIs. Driving automation, DevOps integration, release governance, vendor management, resource planning, and executive alignment. Where technology, leadership, and reliability converge.
QA Consultant
CIBC
•2020
Reported directly to the QA Director. Designed QA strategies for cross-LOB programs. Introduced KPI-driven dashboards, automation-first mindsets, and delivery clarity.
Senior Test Coordinator
CIBC
•2017 - 2020
Owned QA for large enterprise projects. Introduced test frameworks. Led defect triage and mentored upcoming QA professionals. Helped pilot early Agile adoption.
Test Coordinator
CIBC
•2015 - 2017
Delivered QA for mid-sized initiatives. Managed test cycles, regressions, and UAT alignment. Built the discipline that shaped my leadership foundation.
QA Analyst
Porter Airlines
•2013 - 2015
Award-winning role. Led QA for cockpit iPad apps used for load/balance calculations. Built the booking automation API. Presented to executives at BlackBerry and Porter. Learned the speed, ownership, and precision needed for aviation software.
QA Analyst
Rogers Communications
•2013
Lead tester for PVR Boxes, Anyplace TV, MyAccount, BriteBill. Deep OS/device-level testing. Selected for national EBAT/EBRT testing initiative.
QA Analyst
Various Clients
•2012 - 2013
Email template QA for Oxfam UK. Functional UI testing for a US financial platform. Learned discipline and detail in the fundamentals.
Beyond Work: I Build Systems That People Use
Outside CIBC, I build real products end-to-end - design, backend, API, frontend, mobile, databases, deployments, automation, and QA.
This includes systems used across all YDS centers in Canada:
Booster (iOS/Android)
Daily quotes, push notifications, likes, shares
Sphere 36
White-labeled Mattermost app for community communication
Feedback Box
Internal feedback + voting + commenting + approvals
Temple Store
E-commerce catalog + variant builder
Events & Calendar
Full admin + public scheduler
Maintenance & Change Request Portals
Complete workflow management systems
Secure Upload System
Google Drive + Firestore integration
YDSC - URL Shortener
Link management with analytics and role-based access
Halcyon
Luxury hospitality marketplace for 5-star day-use bookings
These projects sharpen my engineering intuition and leadership decisions - because I know what it actually takes to ship, not just test.
What I'm Exploring Next
I'm deeply interested in roles where I can blend:
QA leadership
Platform engineering
Automation at scale
System architecture & quality
AI-integrated engineering workflows
Developer experience & tooling
I'm best in environments where reliability matters and complexity isn't avoidable - it's embraced.
Outside of Technology
I volunteer across Audio, Video, Graphics, and IT teams for my temple community. I lead projects, mentor youth volunteers, and build tools for national events.
This work keeps me grounded, grateful, and connected to people beyond screens and systems.
In One Line
I lead teams and build systems where quality is not inspected in - it is engineered in from the beginning.