Inside the Testing Center of Excellence: Nitesh Rokade’s Talent Acquisition Journey

Technology has been part of Nitesh Rokade’s journey long before his career in Talent Acquisition. From an early interest in smartphones, computers, photography and design to an IT engineering background, curiosity about technology has continued to shape the way he approaches his work.

Today, as Talent Acquisition Specialist – Technology at Duncan & Ross, Nitesh brings nine years of experience across technology hiring. His contribution to the Talent Acquisition effort behind D&R’s Testing Center of Excellence in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, has become an important part of that journey, bringing together the right people, skills and expertise around a complex technology requirement. His contribution to building the team has also been recognised by D&R’s Technology leadership, reflecting the impact of the work behind the project.

A Curiosity That Started Early

Nitesh’s connection with technology started well before his career in Talent Acquisition. His interest in understanding how technology works, combined with his IT engineering background, eventually became part of the way he approaches technology hiring today.

How did your interest in technology shape the career you’ve built today?

I’ve been interested in technology for as long as I can remember. Even before I started my career, friends and family would often come to me for advice on smartphones, laptops, cameras, and other tech products, and I’ve always enjoyed researching and understanding them. My interest in photography, graphics, and design, along with my IT engineering background, made technology something I naturally enjoyed exploring. I’m now a Talent Acquisition Specialist at Duncan & Ross, with 9 years of experience in technology hiring across QA and automation, cloud and infrastructure, cybersecurity, software development, data and analytics, ERP/CRM, BFSI technology, and more recently, AI and emerging technologies. What I enjoy most is that every requirement gives me an opportunity to learn something new, understand the technology and business need, and connect the right talent with the right opportunity.

Understanding the Person Behind the Profile

As Nitesh’s career developed, technology remained central to his work, but so did understanding the people behind it. For him, Talent Acquisition is about looking beyond experience on a profile to understand the role, the team and the business need.

What inspired you to build a career in Talent Acquisition within the technology sector?

What I enjoy about technology Talent Acquisition is that I get to learn and work with people at the same time. Every requirement is different, and I enjoy learning about the technology, the problem the team is trying to solve, and the kind of person they need. Over time, I realized that the best hiring decisions come from looking beyond a candidate’s experience. You need to understand the role, the team, the business need, and the person behind the profile.

Behind D&R’s Testing Center of Excellence

Nitesh’s contribution to D&R’s Testing Center of Excellence gave him the opportunity to see team building from a different perspective. Behind a complex technology requirement was the challenge of identifying the right skills and understanding how individual contributions could come together as one team.

What made your experience helping build D&R’s first Testing Center of Excellence particularly meaningful?

What made the experience meaningful was seeing how a complex requirement gradually came together through the right people, skills, and teamwork. It gave me the opportunity to understand different testing requirements, identify the talent needed, and see how those individual contributions came together as a team. Being part of that journey and seeing the progress along the way was especially rewarding.

Building Teams, Not Filling Positions

The experience also changed the way Nitesh looks at individual requirements. Rather than evaluating each position in isolation, he began thinking more about how different skills and experiences complement one another and contribute to the strength of the wider team.

What did the experience teach you about what it really takes to build the right team?

It taught me that the right team is not always about finding the strongest individual profiles. It’s about understanding what skills are needed, how different experiences complement each other, and how those people will work together as a team. That experience made me look at requirements from a much broader perspective rather than treating every position separately.

Different Perspectives, Stronger Results

At Duncan & Ross, working with different people and business needs has continued to shape Nitesh’s approach to Talent Acquisition. It has encouraged him to look beyond individual roles and consider how each person can contribute to the team and its wider objectives.

How has your experience at Duncan & Ross changed the way you think about talent and collaboration?

My experience at D&R has helped me move from simply filling positions to thinking more about the people and teams we are building. I’ve learned to ask more questions, understand the business need better, and look at how a candidate can contribute to the bigger picture. Working with different people has also made me appreciate how much stronger the result can be when everyone brings their own perspective.

Technology Changes, Human Connection Remains

As technology and AI continue to change the way people work, Nitesh sees curiosity and continuous learning as increasingly important. But alongside new tools and emerging technologies, he believes the human side of Talent Acquisition remains essential.

What advice would you give someone building a career in Talent Acquisition today?

Stay curious and keep learning, especially in technology where things are constantly changing. Embrace AI and new tools, but also keep developing your communication and relationship-building skills. At the end of the day, Talent Acquisition is about people, and that human connection will always matter.

From an early curiosity about technology to helping bring together the talent behind D&R’s Testing Center of Excellence, Nitesh’s journey reflects how Talent Acquisition can go beyond individual roles to shape stronger teams.

His experience has reinforced an approach centred on understanding how different skills, perspectives and people complement one another — while staying curious as technology evolves and keeping human connection at the heart of Talent Acquisition.