Our exceptional team members are the driving force behind all that we do at Distillery, and they truly deserve recognition!
In our “Meet Distillery” series, we introduce you to some of the talented experts who help us (and our partners) bring ideas to life.
Today, we’d like to introduce Nico, our Head of the QA Department!
Introduce yourself, your background/expertise, and your position at Distillery
I’m Nicolás, but everyone calls me Nico, I’m 33 years old, I grew-up in General Alvear, a city in the south of Mendoza, and I graduated from Information’s System Engineering.
I began my QA journey as a QA Intern when I was in my fourth year at the University. I found a lot of joy in this first experience and when I was offered a full-time position I didn’t doubt to accept it.
After eight years and 7 projects later, I joined Distillery. The first thing that caught my attention was the toughness of the interview process, the most difficult one I had faced during my career, indeed! This told me that something special was happening at the company, I felt it was a challenge worth pursuing and an opportunity to push myself and grow. Fortunately, I passed the process and joined the company as a QA Engineer. I was part of an amazing team with really highly skilled people, from whom I learned a lot. A year later, I received the proposal to take the role of Stack Manager. Another pretty straightforward decision. Six months after that, finally I was promoted to my current position, Head of QA Department.
Given your work experience, what are your biggest strengths that you bring to your role at Distillery?
I don’t believe I have a particular strength that sets me apart. I’m a hardworking person who likes what I do and is grateful for the incredible opportunities given in my chosen career; that also enjoys the feeling of excitement and curiosity that comes with facing new challenges.
I’m certainly new in this role and like to do my work the best I can, so I’m conscious that I have a lot of room for improvement. While I’m getting prepared sharpening the saw, I try to be a good listener, which to me is one of the best skills you could have when working with people. I also like to grant people the opportunity to take ownership of the ideas they have, so I try to foster creativity and encourage my team to propose and implement new things that can contribute not only to personal development but also that can help other colleagues.
What attracted you to Distillery?
Well, back in time, I was contacted by a member of the recruitment team who knew me from our shared experience at a previous company a couple of years ago. Then the challenging interview process, as I mentioned earlier, piqued my interest. Finally, the industry of the project I was applying to was new to me, which ultimately convinced me to join Distillery.
What has been your favorite part about being on the Distillery team?
First, definitely the people. Second, the trust, the flexibility and the fact that there is ALWAYS someone ready to listen to you, give you a hand or help you no matter what your request is about. Last but not least, it’s impossible not to mention the growth opportunities.
What are some skills or topics you’re learning about right now?
I’m taking a course about the use of Spring Boot for test Automation in addition to different soft skills courses related to management and leadership. And I’m planning to start preparing for the Test Manager ISTQB certification. I also take English classes once a week.
What’s your secret work-related “pet peeve” related to your role/industry that doesn’t really matter but drives you crazy?
When ‘QA’ and ‘Testing’ are used indistinguishably to refer to the same concept.
Coffee or tea? How many cups in a typical workday?
Coffee, tea and mate! One of each per day.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
I really love sports, and I’m currently training and playing tennis!
What are three to five hashtags that describe you (both personally and professionally)?
#FamilyFirst
#SportLover
#QAIsMuchMoreThanTesting
#TestAutomation
#DetailsCount
#RiverPlate&Messi
What is your most-used/favorite emoji?
Most-used: 😂
Favorite: 🏆 (at least until 2026)
What’s your favorite book (or what are you currently reading)?
The Da Vinci Code – Dan Brown
What is your ideal vacation (or what vacation did you last take)?
Visiting my big brother and his family. They live in a small town in Germany, called Weilheim in Oberbayern
What languages can you speak?
Spanish and English (still have a long way to go, though).
If you could live in any city, where would it be?
San Carlos de Bariloche or Florence.