Start Your Career With Veeva | WayUp Virtual Info Session

This video provides an in-depth exploration of Veeva, a prominent software and consulting firm in the life sciences industry, as presented by its Founder and CEO, Peter Gassner, and Anka, a program director for Veeva's consultant development program. The session, hosted by WayUp, primarily serves as an informational event for early-career professionals, offering insights into Veeva's mission, culture, and career opportunities, particularly through its "Generation Veeva" new graduate programs. Gassner establishes the foundational understanding of Veeva's critical role in the life sciences sector, emphasizing its commitment to developing specialized software, consulting services, and data solutions that support the entire lifecycle of medicine and medical product creation and delivery globally.

Gassner elaborates on Veeva's core business, which involves serving a diverse range of life sciences entities, from small biotechs focused on specific diseases to large pharmaceutical giants like Pfizer, Novartis, and Amgen. He powerfully conveys the industry's significance by referencing the historical impact of medical advancements, such as the eradication of polio, and its current efforts in developing COVID-19 vaccines and therapies. Veeva's technology is instrumental in helping these companies design, gain approval for, and legally bring medicines to market worldwide. The company, founded in 2007, has grown to 4,000 employees and generates $1.5 billion in revenue, underscoring its substantial influence and footprint within the industry. The discussion consistently highlights Veeva's overarching contribution to improving and extending human life by enabling the vital work of the life sciences sector.

The session further delves into specific examples of Veeva's product innovation and its crucial adaptability during the COVID-19 health crisis. Gassner proudly details how Veeva's cloud-based systems for manufacturing process control ensure stringent regulatory compliance and patient safety, particularly for complex processes like biologic production, where errors could have fatal consequences. He also recounts a rapid deployment project in the UK, where Veeva swiftly established collaboration systems for a consortium of companies (including Dyson and Formula 1 teams) to quickly and safely produce thousands of ventilators. Another key innovation discussed is software designed to make patient participation in clinical trials easier, more enjoyable, and faster. The pandemic necessitated rapid adjustments to Veeva's product roadmap, especially to enable remote clinical trial inspections and virtual collaboration, demonstrating the company's agility and responsiveness to evolving industry needs and regulatory landscapes. The mention of Veeva Vault and the company's offering of machine learning services for data science purposes further illustrates its technological breadth.

Beyond its products, the video emphasizes Veeva's team-oriented culture and its four core values, listed in order of importance: "Do the Right Thing," "Customer Success," "Employee Success," and "Speed." Gassner stresses that "Do the Right Thing" encompasses ethics, honesty, integrity, and treating others with respect, serving as the paramount guiding principle. He shares personal anecdotes about his own career trajectory and the inspiration behind the "Generation Veeva" program, which aims to integrate young talent into the company and the broader life sciences industry. Anka, as a program director, offers insights into the consultant development program, highlighting the importance of building a strong professional reputation, continuous learning, and contributing actively to the team. The session concludes with valuable career advice centered on focusing on contribution, excelling in one's work, and cultivating strong professional relationships, rather than solely pursuing a predefined "dream job."

Key Takeaways:

• Veeva's primary mission is to empower the life sciences industry through specialized software, consulting, and data solutions that facilitate the design, approval, and compliant market entry of medicines and medical products globally.
• The company serves a broad spectrum of life sciences clients, from small biotech startups to major pharmaceutical corporations like Pfizer, Novartis, and Amgen, reflecting its comprehensive industry reach.
• Veeva emphasizes the profound societal impact of the life sciences industry, citing historical successes like polio eradication and current efforts in developing COVID-19 treatments and vaccines as examples of its contribution to human well-being.
• Veeva's product portfolio includes critical applications for manufacturing process control, which are essential for ensuring regulatory compliance (e.g., GxP standards) and patient safety in the production of complex medicines like biologics.
• The company demonstrated significant agility during the COVID-19 pandemic by rapidly adjusting its product roadmap to support remote operations, such as virtual clinical trial inspections, ensuring business continuity and compliance in a changing environment.
• Veeva quickly developed and deployed collaboration systems for emergency initiatives, such as a consortium producing ventilators, highlighting the importance of robust and adaptable technology platforms in crisis management.
• Innovations include software designed to streamline and enhance patient participation in clinical trials, making the process more efficient and user-friendly, which is a key area for operational optimization in clinical development.
• Veeva operates on four core values: "Do the Right Thing" (ethics, honesty, integrity), "Customer Success," "Employee Success," and "Speed," with "Do the Right Thing" being the most fundamental guiding principle for all decisions.
• The company actively invests in nurturing early-career talent through programs like "Generation Veeva," which offers structured pathways in consulting, engineering, and product management roles within the life sciences technology sector.
• Career advice from the CEO stresses the importance of focusing on contribution to the team, excelling in one's work, and building strong professional relationships, rather than solely pursuing a fixed "dream job," promoting adaptability and a growth mindset.
• Veeva's product strategy involves "running to the complexity" of specific industry areas, developing highly specialized products tailored to unique pharmaceutical workflows and stringent regulatory requirements, rather than generic software.
• The company's offerings include Veeva Vault, a prominent platform in the life sciences, and it also provides machine learning services to customers for data science applications, aligning with advanced analytics and AI trends.
• A key to Veeva's sustained success is its unwavering commitment to staying close to customers, actively listening to their needs, and consistently delivering measurable value, which is a crucial best practice for any technology firm in a regulated industry.

Tools/Resources Mentioned:

• Veeva Vault: A key platform within Veeva's product ecosystem.
• WayUp: The platform hosting the virtual info session, focused on early-career job and internship opportunities.

Key Concepts:

• Generation Veeva: Veeva's new graduate development program designed for early-career professionals in consulting, engineering, and product management.
• Do the Right Thing: Veeva's paramount core value, emphasizing ethics, honesty, integrity, and respectful treatment of others.
• Customer Success, Employee Success, Speed: The other three core values of Veeva, listed in order of importance after "Do the Right Thing."
• Clinical Research Associates (CRAs): Professionals who traditionally inspect clinical trial documentation at research sites, whose work was impacted by COVID-19.
• HIPAA Compliance: Implied requirement for virtual clinical trial processes to protect patient data.

Examples/Case Studies:

• Manufacturing Process Control: Veeva's software helps pharmaceutical companies, particularly those producing biologics, adhere to strict policies and procedures to ensure legal and safe manufacturing, preventing dangerous outcomes.
• COVID-19 Ventilator Consortium: Veeva rapidly deployed collaboration systems for a consortium of UK companies (including Dyson and Formula 1 teams) to quickly and safely manufacture thousands of ventilators during the pandemic.
• Clinical Trial Patient Participation: Veeva develops software to make it easier, more enjoyable, and faster for patients to participate in clinical trials.
• Pharmaceutical Sales Reps in Japan: Veeva's software caters to the very specific business processes, regulations, and workflows involved in introducing new drugs in Japanese hospitals.