Generation Veeva | Meet Emily: Why I Love Veeva

Veeva Systems Inc

@VeevaSystems

Published: June 4, 2020

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Insights

This video provides an internal perspective on the culture and structured talent development programs at Veeva Systems, specifically through the eyes of Emily Moy, an Associate Consultant participating in the Consultant Development Program (CDP). The primary purpose is to showcase the positive employee experience, emphasizing the support, professional growth opportunities, and collaborative environment fostered by the company. While the content is non-technical, it offers crucial organizational intelligence regarding how Veeva invests in and cultivates its consulting workforce, a key component of its overall service delivery model within the life sciences sector.

Emily’s journey begins immediately after graduating college in August 2019, starting with a week-long orientation in Pennsylvania. This structured onboarding process quickly transitions into participation in major internal events designed to integrate new consultants into the corporate culture. A significant highlight is the Generation Veeva Connect (GB Connect), a recurring weekend event bringing together participants from both the Consultant Development Program and the Engineering Development Program for team bonding and professional development workshops. Emily notes that attending GB Connect clearly demonstrated how much the entire company values the CDP, viewing its participants as "the future of Veeva," even early in their tenure.

The narrative continues with Emily’s experience at her first annual Veeva Field Kickoff (VeevaCK) in Orlando, Florida. This event serves as a critical annual gathering where all Veeva employees align on goals and roadmaps for the upcoming year while celebrating past accomplishments. This insight reveals the mechanisms Veeva uses for internal alignment and motivation across its global workforce. Furthermore, Emily underscores the personal support provided by Veeva, detailing her move across the country from Boston to Seattle. She credits the company with providing both the freedom and the support necessary to facilitate this major life change, highlighting a culture that encourages employees to step outside their comfort zones. The video concludes by emphasizing the highly collaborative nature of the CDP, where consultants are constantly challenged to learn from peers, facilitated by both professional troubleshooting sessions and informal social activities like virtual workouts and cooking lessons, ensuring a strong sense of connection among co-workers.

Key Takeaways: • Veeva’s Investment in Consulting Talent: The existence and high visibility of the Consultant Development Program (CDP) indicate that Veeva views its consulting arm not merely as a service extension but as a core strategic function and a primary source of future leadership, dedicating significant resources to structured development. • Structured Onboarding and Integration: New consultants undergo a formal, multi-stage onboarding process starting with orientation, ensuring they are quickly integrated into the company’s mission and culture before being deployed to client work. • High Value Placed on CDP Participants: The company explicitly communicates that CDP participants are considered "the future of Veeva," suggesting that these individuals receive focused mentorship and opportunities for rapid advancement within the organization. • Generation Veeva Connect (GB Connect): This recurring weekend event serves as a critical mechanism for internal networking, bonding, and professional skill enhancement for both consulting and engineering development cohorts, fostering cross-functional collaboration early in their careers. • Annual Corporate Alignment (VeevaCK): The annual Veeva Field Kickoff (VeevaCK) is essential for setting corporate goals, communicating roadmaps, and ensuring company-wide alignment, providing a valuable opportunity for consultants to understand the strategic direction of the platform they support. • Support for Employee Mobility and Growth: Veeva actively supports employee personal growth and geographical mobility, as evidenced by Emily’s successful move from Boston to Seattle, suggesting a flexible and supportive corporate environment that aids in talent retention. • Culture of Collaboration: The CDP promotes a highly collaborative environment where learning is continuous, extending beyond formal training to include peer-to-peer troubleshooting and informal team-building activities (e.g., virtual workouts, cooking lessons). • Relevance to Partner Strategy: For a specialized consulting firm like IntuitionLabs, understanding the structure and quality of Veeva’s internal consulting pipeline (CDP) is crucial for competitive analysis, potential partnership opportunities, and identifying the skill sets of the Veeva personnel they will be collaborating with. • Understanding Veeva’s Internal Messaging: The video serves as a direct insight into Veeva’s internal branding and recruitment messaging, which emphasizes community, support, and professional challenge—factors that influence the morale and commitment of the platform’s core personnel.

Tools/Resources Mentioned:

  • Veeva Systems: The core platform provider and employer discussed.

Key Concepts:

  • Consultant Development Program (CDP): A structured training and career development track within Veeva Systems designed to cultivate new consulting talent from recent college graduates.
  • Generation Veeva Connect (GB Connect): A recurring internal event for participants in the CDP and Engineering Development Program, focusing on team bonding, networking, and professional workshops.
  • Veeva Field Kickoff (VeevaCK): The annual, company-wide event where Veeva employees gather to discuss organizational goals, strategic roadmaps, and celebrate achievements from the past year.