Quality is a business enabler, not a gatekeeper: interview with Lyuba Ilieva, Director of the Global Expertise Center (QA)
In our latest conversation, Luba shares how trust, clarity, and empowerment shape high-performing QA teams, and why the future of quality is about strategy, not just testing. Discover insights on leadership principles, recharging in nature, and lessons learned along the career path.
What personal principles and values do you try to uphold and build your global QA team on?
For me, it is about building trust, clarity, and empowerment. The foundation of my work is transparency, accountability, and genuine curiosity. I try to create an environment where people are not afraid to experiment, to question the status quo, and to speak up when something can be done better.
How can QA contribute to business success while ensuring top-quality outcomes?
Quality is a business enabler, not a gatekeeper.
Our role as quality engineers is to translate quality into business language — to show how a stable, predictable, and trustworthy delivery process builds long-term client relationships and brand credibility.
In large-scale projects, I always emphasize alignment between quality metrics and business goals. That means not testing for testing's sake, but understanding what truly matters to the customer: risk, time to market, user experience, and aligning our quality strategy around that.
QA is most powerful when it acts as a partner in decision-making, not an afterthought in delivery.
What are the top three lessons from your career that you carry with you every day?
- Clarity helps more than control. When people know the “why,” they don’t need micromanagement.
- Mistakes are feedback, not failures. I’ve learned much more from things that didn’t work out.
- Good energy spreads faster than any process. How we show up each day — curious, calm, or stressed — changes the team dynamic more than any methodology.
And honestly, I still remind myself every day: we're all learning. No one has it fully figured out, and that's okay.
Do you have a hobby or activity that helps you in your work?
I love studying psychology and archetypal models of human behavior — it gives me incredible insight into team dynamics and leadership. Understanding how people are wired, what drives them, and how they grow helps me build healthier, more cohesive teams.
What helps you recharge after intense working days?
Nature, movement, and silence. I'm most recharged when I'm by the sea or hiking — somewhere I can unplug from the constant stream of communication. I also practice yoga and mindfulness regularly; they help me return to clarity and focus.
