RisingSTAR Award Supporters
The software testing community have come together to collectively support new voices in our industry through the RisingSTAR Award. This initiative offers support, mentorship and recognition to rising innovators whose ideas will benefit others in software testing industry, but who are not (yet) widely known in the community. The RisingSTAR winner will be supported with access to expertise from industry mentors known as ‘The Supporters’. This is to help the winner develop their idea and bring it into being.
The RisingSTAR Supporters & Mentors are all experienced testers, each with an incredible network of global connections. They will each provide a half day of mentoring support to the RisingSTAR winner between June 2023 – April 2024. This might be a review of a paper, a brainstorm session, live testing or introducing the winner to key people in their network.
Meet the 2023 RisingSTAR Supporters & Mentors
![Jn-Bach-EuroSTAR-Software-Testing-Supporters](https://huddle.eurostarsoftwaretesting.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Jon-Bach-150x150.jpeg)
Jon Bach – USA
Senior Program Manager, Marketing Tech Quality – eBay
![Michael-Bolton-EuroSTAR-Software-Testing-Supporters](https://huddle.eurostarsoftwaretesting.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/michael-bolton-150x150.jpg)
Michael Bolton – Canada
Consulting Software Tester – DevelopSense
![Mette Bruhn Pedersen](https://huddle.eurostarsoftwaretesting.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/ES2020_Mette_Bruhn-Pedersen_400x400px_RGB.jpg)
Mette Bruhn-Pedersen – Denmark
Agile Transformation Leader – Safe Journey
![Adonis Celestine](https://huddle.eurostarsoftwaretesting.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/ES2021_Adonis_Celestine_400x400px_RGB-300x300.jpg)
Adonis Celestine – Netherlands
Test Architect – Cognizant
![Isabel Evans](https://huddle.eurostarsoftwaretesting.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/ES2021_Isabel_Evans_400x400px_RGB.jpg)
Isabel Evans – UK
Independent Quality & Testing Consultant
![Melissa Fisher](https://huddle.eurostarsoftwaretesting.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Melissa-Fisher-400x400-1.jpg)
Melissa Fisher – UK
Quality Engineering Manager – EasyJet
![Kari Kakkonen](https://huddle.eurostarsoftwaretesting.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/ES2020_Kari_Kakkonen_400x400px_RGB.jpg)
Kari Kakkonen – Finland
Director, Training and Competences – Knowit
![Bart-Knaack-EuroSTAR-Software-Testing-Supporters](https://huddle.eurostarsoftwaretesting.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Bart-Knaack.jpg)
Bart Knaack – Netherlands
Test Advisor – Professional Testing
![Rob Lambert, Director – Cultivated Management](https://huddle.eurostarsoftwaretesting.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ES2023-Rob-Lambert-400x400px-RGB.jpg)
Rob Lambert – UK
Director – Cultivated Management
![James Lyndsay](https://huddle.eurostarsoftwaretesting.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/ES2022-James-Lyndsay-400x400px-RGB.jpg)
James Lyndsay – UK
Principal Consultant – Workroom Productions
![Simon Mills QA](https://huddle.eurostarsoftwaretesting.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Simon-Mills-300x300.jpg)
Simon Mills – Malta
Experienced exponent of automated software testing & QA
![Katja Obring RisingSTAR Supporter](https://huddle.eurostarsoftwaretesting.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Katja-Obring.jpg)
Katja Obring – UK
Quality Engineering Coach – Kato Coaching
![Fran O'Hara](https://huddle.eurostarsoftwaretesting.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/ES2019_Fran_O_Hara_400x400px_RGB-1-1-2.jpg)
Fran O’Hara – Ireland
Director – Inspire Quality Services
![Gitte Ottosen](https://huddle.eurostarsoftwaretesting.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/ES2021_Gitte_Ottosen_400x400px_RGB.jpg)
Gitte Ottosen – Denmark
Test Manager & Coach – Key2Quality
![Amir Shani, Quality Engineering Lead – Meta, Israel](https://huddle.eurostarsoftwaretesting.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ES2023-Amir-Shani-400x400px-RGB.jpg)
Amir Shani – Israel
Quality Engineering Lead – Meta
![Irja Straus RisingSTAR Supporter](https://huddle.eurostarsoftwaretesting.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Irja-Straus.jpg)
Irja Straus – Croatia
Quality Manager – Gideon
![Szilard Szell](https://huddle.eurostarsoftwaretesting.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/ES2022-Szilard-Szell-400x400px-RGB.jpg)
Szilard Szell – Finland
5G DevOps Transformation Lead – Eficode
![RisingSTAR Award Supporter](https://huddle.eurostarsoftwaretesting.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Henk-Merode-150x150.jpg)
Henk Van Merode – Netherlands
Test Architect – Air France/KLM
![Sanne Visser](https://huddle.eurostarsoftwaretesting.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/ES2020_Sanne_Visser_400x400px_RGB.jpg)
Sanne Visser – Netherlands
TestConsultant – Capgemini