About Us | SQC Technology

Our edge

SQC offers a broad and balanced range of services applying the skills and experience acquired from over 30 years of successful technology deliveries and problem solving. We hold an enviable reputation in the industry for helping customers solve their IT & technology challenges.

What sets us apart is our people. We have exceptionally deep expertise and have been doing this for a very long time. We have a culture of innovation, looking for, identifying and establishing smarter ways of doing things, with a focus on delivering the best solution for a customer's individual needs.

Our customer base is broad; we work with organisations of all sizes across many sectors. Our customers generally have a challenge. They have a need for a solution, an improvement in operations, expert guidance, a problem resolution or robust assurance of others’ work. That is where we excel.

Our Mission

To draw upon our expertise and years of experience, allowing us to provide high quality and innovative solutions to our client’s problems.

OUR STORY

1991

Our inception

Neil Hudson founded SQC Technology in 1991, as a provider of software testing services.

1991

Delivering a software solution for North Sea oil rigs

We helped Switchgear & Instrumentation with a failing embedded software development project, which was being sold as part of a multi-million pound contract with Exxon Mobil for two of its North Sea oil rigs.

1995

Improving test practices

The R&D department at Ferranti-Thomson Sonar Systems were struggling with uncontrolled and inconsistent software development that was not meeting the MOD's quality standards. We implemented a tailored development process and test practices that balanced speed, cost and the MOD's requirements.

1998

Sarah Clark joined SQC’s Leadership Team

Sarah joined SQC from British Coal, where she provided financial insights and analysis to assist the company in making informed decisions.

2005

Protecting and testing IT solutions

We defined, developed and led the unit responsible for protecting and testing BT Retail’s IT solutions, delivering just before a Christmas deadline and so avoiding Ofcom penalties.

2005

Insufficient capacity on a new booking system

The Caravan Club's new complex, multi-system booking solution was slow and unstable. We identified numerous root causes and implemented fixes, with the last one found at a 2:00am debugging session just 48 hours before its launch.

2010

Assuring the emergency services

We worked with Accenture and BT, providing quality assurance on a project that was replacing the operator services emergency (999) call handling and management system.

2010

Resolving payment system errors

Intermittent credit card mischarging was threatening the launch of the London Cycle Hire Scheme. The Systems Integrator running the project had been struggling with the problem for six months. We identifed and fixed the problem within two days.

2010

Load and failure testing on a re-engineered platform

We performed rigorous testing on GL Education’s Testwise platform to future-proof growth in supporting schools with their assessment of pupil’s educational needs. Our relationship with Testwise continued for another seven years.

2012

Assuring a product re-development

We provided QA services and test practices to Misys, to support a strategic product re-development for the financial services sector.

2013

Leading a significant project that had stalled for 3 years

We were approached to lead a multi-year, multi-supplier software project at Vodafone Italia. We turned the project around in two months and delivered it in eight months.

2016

Ramesh Vora joined SQC’s Leadership Team

Ramesh joined SQC from a 16-year tenure at Oracle, where he held the post of Enterprise Architect, working on complex issues.

2016

Proving a full testing team

We provided an entire test team to Dentsu Aegis Network, to assist them on a transformation project.

2017

Fixing long-term operational pain

We identified and fixed an order bottleneck issue that had plagued Ralawise for two years. Multiple attempts to identify the cause had failed. We identified the cause and fixed it within one week.

2017

Providing advice to Aviva

We helped Aviva review their test and release management practices and recommended areas for improvement.

2017

Problematic payment points

We helped HTEC with their troubled business-critical petrol forecourt retail system, by providing test and delivery services to ensure a working solution.

2018

G-Cloud framework

We became a supplier on the G-Cloud framework, the UK’s largest public sector procurement framework, where buyers can access an array of suppliers of cloud-related services.

2018

Transforming, cleansing and standardising data

We helped the Charity Commission update Reg+, their system of record, that holds data on the charities and the people it regulates. This included incorporating an online portal and supporting better regulation.

2018

Working to tight timescales on a significant demerger

At Prudential we dealt with critical technology deliveries to ensure a demerger went through on time, realising an increase of £2bn in shareholder value.

2019

Digital Outcomes and Specialists framework

We became a supplier on the Digital Outcomes and Specialists framework, which enables organisations to procure digital, data, and technology services, including outcome-based projects, specialist roles, and user-centred design support.

2019

Candy Candappa and Steve Joyner joined SQC’s Leadership Team

Candy joined SQC from Datawise Intelligence where he was Chief Executive Officer. Steve joined SQC from the consultancy firm JLT, where he led the test transformation team.

2019

Managing planning, mobilisation, delivery and assurance

We initially worked on a major and complex technology modernisation programme at Ageas that managed 80 million customer records. Our relationship with Ageas continues to this day.

2020

Rewriting code for blockchain software

We were approached to evaluate whether a new software solution from Orbifold would scale. On discovering it wouldn't, we rewrote code to ensure its resilience and scalability, ready for Orbifold to take to market.

2021

Establishing DWP Health's QA practice for Complex Digital Services

We developed a structured quality assurance framework for complex multi-team digital services, enabling reliable delivery of large-scale citizen-facing digital platforms.

2023

Consolidating infrastructure and service management platforms

We delivered governance and programme oversight at Prudential, for the migration of a standalone Azure environment into an Asian Azure platform.

2026

Time for a refresh

After more than thirty years, we decided it was time for a new look and feel, and we launched our new brand and logo.

Our Values

Inventive

Our commitment to our customers is to act and think innovatively to create the best solution for them. The vast experience we’ve gained from working on many different types of projects enables us to challenge conventional thinking and consider all solutions, including those that aren't always apparent. Our innovative approach ensures we deliver the most appropriate solution to resolve our customers challenges, no matter how difficult or complex those challenges may be.

Dependable

We have proven time and time again that customers can depend on us to take ownership and deliver positive outcomes. Our commitment, experience and systematic approach, means that our customers will always be in a ‘safe pair of hands’ with us.

We step in when others stand back. We take on the overlooked but critical leadership and technical tasks that no one is contracted to do. We go far beyond the ‘extra mile’ to ensure a great outcome.

Flexible

Our flexibility is one of the key attributes that makes us unique. Whether it’s problems with existing projects, future projects that need defining, planning, executing or assuring, or any challenges that lie in between, we can help. We react quickly in times of trouble and readily adapt to changing goals and situations.

We provide a variety of working models, including team augmentation, fully managed service and turnkey solutions and outcomes. Our flexibility gives our customers a real advantage.

Competent

We offer a deeply experienced tight-knit team who have been working together for many years. We thrive on challenging IT and delivery project problems. We like difficult, unique, complex, it’s what makes life interesting for us. We discuss ideas internally and leverage the wealth of expertise that exists amongst us. We are sharp, focused and completely committed to providing quality solutions that make a real difference to our customers, without distractions. We take pride in doing things properly, no shortcuts, no compromises.

Our Leadership

Neil Hudson

Founder & CEO

Neil is the original founder of SQC and is highly respected in the industry. His experience is broad and deep having worked on a vast number of technology challenges for FTSE100 and medium sized companies.

Phil Ballard

Phil has been with SQC since 2019, when he joined to help on a multi-year project running at one of the UK’s leading insurers. Phil has the ability to quickly understand the detailed complexities of a programme and what needs to be tested, and he also possesses the delivery management skills to plan and drive forward the testing activities, no matter what the challenges are.

Candy Candappa

Candy is a practical problem-solver and collaborative team-builder who has worked with the SQC team since 2005. He brings clarity to complex situations, getting teams and suppliers to perform, and drives delivery in uncertain or challenging conditions. Committed to achieving tangible results for customers, Candy has supported projects for organisations including the Prudential, Deutsche Bank, HSBC, BT, Vodafone, and O2.

Sarah Clark

Sarah is one of our longest standing employees, having joined SQC in 1998. Her remits include senior test analyst, performance tester and test automation lead, and she boasts a successful track record across a broad spectrum of systems and IT solutions throughout a variety of industry sectors.

Anup Gupta

Anup is an exceptionally professional and very experienced testing specialist who can quickly grasp the technical details and intricacies of system integrations. His approach is to ensure that testing is properly planned and then coordinated and executed appropriately, even when working to tight deadlines. Anup has over 25 years of industry experience and worked with key organisations including Prudential, Deutsche Bank, Imperial College, Credit Suisse, Fidelity and Fiserv.

Steve Joyner

Steve is a seasoned professional who joined SQC in 2019 with a focus on project management and testing. He has worked on numerous large-scale development and implementation projects across a variety of industry sectors. Prior to joining SQC, Steve spent time at Accenture, Vodafone and Virgin Media.

Ramesh Vora

Ramesh joined SQC in 2016 and has 25+ years industry experience including previous roles at SAP and Oracle. Ramesh is highly skilled with a deep technical and functional understanding. He has a reputation for rapidly understanding a customer’s needs and pain points and then quickly delivering successful outcomes. Ramesh adds significant value wherever he is engaged.

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