Clement Leung: Thirteen years of learning, leading, and innovating

What started as a leap into a fast-paced tech environment has become a career defined by meaningful challenges, lifelong learning, and relationships that feel more like family than coworkers.  

I came to ComputerTalk after working in a larger municipal organization, craving the agility and impact that only a focused tech team can offer. From day one, I loved how every contribution mattered here. As an Application Quality Assurance (QA) specialist, I thrived on close collaboration with our developers, Customer Service team and Project Owners—solving problems in real time and seeing immediate results from our work. 

Stepping into leadership 

One of my most formative experiences happened early on, during a high-stakes project over a Christmas holiday. The project team worked around the clock to meet tight deadlines, and those long nights taught me more about resilience and teamwork than any training ever could. To this day, I carry those lessons into how I lead: prioritizing transparency, celebrating small wins, and never losing sight of the end goal.  

A few years ago, I transitioned to my current role as Application QA Function Owner. This shift from hands-on testing to strategic oversight challenged me to rethink quality assurance entirely. Now, I design frameworks that prevent errors from occurring.  

One of my proudest achievements?  

Spearheading our AI-driven testing tools and automation scripts, which streamlined workflows and saved hundreds of hours annually. ComputerTalk gave me the trust and resources to innovate—a testament to how this company nurtures growth. 

What’s kept me here for 13 years?  

The unwavering commitment to learning. Whether it’s exploring AI integration (like I’m doing now) or attending industry conferences, ComputerTalk invests in our growth. I tell our new hires: “This isn’t a place where knowledge sits stagnant. Every day brings opportunities to stretch your skills.”  

My team’s dynamic is what makes tough projects manageable and victories sweeter. We’ve built a culture of trust where collaboration thrives. By combining our diverse perspectives, we not only meet deadlines but uncover a more efficient testing approach that’s now our standard. It’s moments like these that remind me why I agree with my colleague Victor Pawa’s spotlight sentiment: “Mentorship here isn’t a program; it’s how we operate daily.”  

Quality assurance isn’t just about bug hunting for me. It’s about ensuring that every product we release genuinely helps people—whether it’s a nurse using our solution or a customer service agent relying on our systems. That purpose fuels me, especially during crunch times. 

Life beyond QA 

When I’m not optimizing test cases, you’ll find me baking decadent desserts—my signature chocolate lava cakes have become a staple at team celebrations. There’s something magical about balancing precise measurements to create something delightful, much like refining test scripts for flawless results. On weekends, I recharge myself by photographing Ontario’s changing seasons, from the fiery maple leaves of Algonquin Park to the serene ice formations along Lake Simcoe. 

These same lessons also shape how I approach my work in QA:

• Ask “why” relentlessly. Understanding how your work fits into the bigger picture transforms routine tasks into missions.
• Embrace change as your teacher. When I started, we were manually testing desktop apps. Now we’re automating AI workflows—staying curious is key.
• Invest in relationships. The colleagues who challenged me to grow (like Blair and my QA teammates) became lifelong friends. 

Looking to the future 

Right now, I’m thrilled about our AI initiatives. Last year, my team developed automation scripts that transformed how we handle regression testing. By combining these tools with machine learning models, we reduced repetitive tasks, freeing us to focus on strategic quality initiatives. It’s projects like these that remind me why I love tech.  

Even as we automate more, I insist on preserving human oversight. AI handles the grunt work, but it’s our team’s expertise that ensures solutions align with real user needs. It’s this blend of innovation and intuition that makes ComputerTalk special: we move fast but never lose sight of the people behind the pixels.