Lunch and Learn with Veeva

This video provides an in-depth exploration of Veeva Systems, a prominent cloud-based software, data, and services provider for the life sciences industry. Hosted by Danielle Mitchell of Black Women In Clinical Research, the session features Eric Severiano from Veeva, who offers a comprehensive overview of the company's mission, values, product offerings, growth trajectory, and career opportunities. The primary purpose is to educate the audience, particularly clinical research professionals, about Veeva's ecosystem and potential career paths within the organization, emphasizing its commitment to diversity and employee success.

Eric Severiano details Veeva's extensive involvement across the entire life sciences product lifecycle, from initial research and clinical trials (Development Cloud) through regulatory approval and commercialization (Commercial Cloud). He highlights Veeva's growth from a small startup to a global company with over 6,700 employees, aiming for 10,000 by 2025. A significant portion of the discussion is dedicated to Veeva's core values—doing the right thing, customer success, employee success, and speed—which are not just aspirational but legally enshrined through its status as a Public Benefit Corporation (PBC). This PBC status underscores Veeva's commitment to broader stakeholders, including customers, employees, and communities, beyond just shareholders.

The presentation also delves into Veeva's progressive workplace policies, such as its permanent "work anywhere" model, which predates the pandemic for many roles and now extends to all employees. Career development is a key theme, with a focus on "Generation Veeva" programs designed for early-career professionals in various disciplines like engineering, consulting, analytics, and sales. Furthermore, Eric outlines Veeva's robust Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, which concentrate on talent attraction, fostering an inclusive culture, and providing education and awareness through internal trainings and employee resource groups. The latter part of the session includes a Q&A segment addressing specific roles, the interview process, and Veeva's expanding business scope, including its data offerings, management consulting services, and the Quality Management System (QMS) Vault, which is now used by non-life sciences companies.

Key Takeaways:

• Veeva's Comprehensive Life Sciences Support: Veeva Systems provides cloud-based software, data, and consulting services that span the entire life sciences product lifecycle, from research and development (Development Cloud) to commercialization and sales (Commercial Cloud).
• Dual Cloud Offerings: The Development Cloud supports pre-FDA approval activities like research, clinical trials, and regulatory processes, while the Commercial Cloud handles post-approval aspects such as marketing, sales interactions, and related data.
• Veeva Vault Ecosystem: Veeva offers specialized "Vaults" for various functions, including Clinical Data, Clinical Operations, Regulatory, Quality, and Drug Safety. These platforms are designed to be user-friendly, cloud-based, and easily configurable, aiming to standardize processes and facilitate decentralized trials.
• Core Company Values: Veeva's operations are guided by four key values: "do the right thing," customer success, employee success, and speed, which are frequently discussed and integrated into decision-making.
• Public Benefit Corporation (PBC) Status: In 2020, Veeva became a PBC, legally obligating the company to consider the interests of all stakeholders—customers, employees, and communities—beyond just maximizing shareholder profit, a unique commitment for a public company of its size.
• Permanent "Work Anywhere" Policy: Veeva has a long-standing and permanent policy allowing employees to work from anywhere, fostering flexibility and productivity, a model that was expanded to all roles in 2020.
• Generation Veeva Development Programs: The company offers structured, full-time development programs for early-career professionals in engineering, consulting, business consulting, analytics, and sales, serving as a pipeline for future leadership and industry talent.
• Robust DEI Initiatives: Veeva's DEI efforts focus on challenging talent pipeline myths through targeted attraction strategies, ensuring equitable evaluation processes, fostering an inclusive culture, and providing education on topics like bias and microaggressions, supported by employee resource groups.
• Career Opportunities for Clinical Research Professionals: Individuals with clinical research backgrounds, such as CRAs, have a significant advantage due to their industry knowledge. Veeva offers diverse roles within clinical-specific teams, including product management, sales, engineering, consulting, quality assurance, and marketing.
• Consultant vs. Strategy Roles: Implementation and strategic guidance on platform usage typically fall under "consultant" or "Professional Services" roles at Veeva. "Strategy roles" are generally distinct, focusing on broader market vision, product positioning, and pricing.
• Veeva QMS Expansion: Veeva's Quality Management System (QMS) Vault, designed for managing compliant documentation and processes, is expanding its reach beyond life sciences to industries like cosmetics and manufacturing.
• Business Growth Areas: Veeva is actively expanding its data offerings (e.g., patient, prescription data), growing its management consulting services (e.g., optimizing field teams), and extending its QMS solutions to non-life sciences sectors, creating new job opportunities.
• Comprehensive Interview Process: The typical interview process involves 3-4 stages, including a recruiter screen, conversations with potential managers, a deep dive into work history, a hands-on exercise relevant to the role, and a discussion focused on culture fit and personal motivations.
• Emphasis on Internal Mobility: Veeva strongly encourages and supports internal career growth, with many employees moving between different roles and departments as the organization expands.
• Potential for External Veeva Certification: There is ongoing internal discussion about developing external training and certification programs for Veeva products, which could significantly benefit industry professionals seeking to enhance their skills and marketability.

Tools/Resources Mentioned:

• Veeva CRM
• Veeva Vault (general platform)
• Veeva Development Cloud
• Veeva Commercial Cloud
• Veeva Clinical Data Vault
• Veeva Clinical Operations Vault
• Veeva Regulatory Vault
• Veeva Quality Vault
• Veeva Drug Safety Vault
• Veeva EDC Vault (Electronic Data Capture)
• Veeva QMS (Quality Management System)

Key Concepts:

• Public Benefit Corporation (PBC): A legal designation for a for-profit corporation that commits to operating in a manner that benefits society and the environment, in addition to its shareholders.
• Industry Cloud: A specialized cloud platform tailored to the unique needs and regulatory requirements of a specific industry, in this case, life sciences.
• Decentralized Trials: Clinical trials conducted with less reliance on physical sites, often leveraging technology to allow participants to engage remotely, improving accessibility and efficiency.
• Generation Veeva: Veeva's suite of development programs designed to train and integrate early-career professionals into various functional areas of the company.
• Work Anywhere Policy: A company policy that allows employees to perform their job duties from any location, promoting flexibility and work-life balance.

Examples/Case Studies:

• COVID-19 Response: Veeva provided its remote pharmaceutical rep software for free for a year during the pandemic lockdown, demonstrating its "do the right thing" value by supporting customers when traditional in-person interactions were impossible.
• Data Offering Expansion: Veeva acquired an organization approximately three years prior to the video to significantly expand its data offerings, including patient and prescription data, highlighting its growth strategy in this area.