Meet a Veevan: Career Leaps, Job Fulfillment and Coming Home
Meet a Veevan is a series that looks at the employees who bring us life. For this edition, we spoke with Engineering Manager, Kent Guerriero. With a desire to help others and make world-class mobile apps, he found his place at Veeva and a chance to return to his roots.
Did you always want to be a software engineer? Have you ever considered another career?
Kent: I began my college journey as a business major. However, after taking an Excel class, I realized I had a passion for writing functions. Based on that experience, I decided to take my first computer science class, fell in love with it, and quickly switched my major.
Both during and after school, I became engrossed with Java side projects. I wanted to distribute those projects to users but I couldn’t find an easy way. Thankfully, the iOS platform provided an easier distribution model and, before too long, I started looking for opportunities that would afford me the freedom to work with iOS day in and day out.
Why did you decide to work at Veeva?
Kent: I watched Veeva’s CEO, Peter Gassner, interview on CNBC’s “Mad Money.” While I knew little about Veeva at the time, Peter’s enthusiasm about the company’s future was undeniably captivating. Veeva’s software helps our customers improve and save lives — something that is unique among the tech companies I was researching. Before I knew it, I was contemplating leaving Arizona for the Bay Area.
I loved the challenge that Veeva offered but wanted to move back closer to home. Veeva has a “work anywhere” policy, so since 2020 I’ve been spending time in both Arizona and Southern California with my fiancée. Admittedly, I miss seeing familiar faces in the hallway or grabbing food with the team, but I no longer need to prioritize my career over my personal life. Working remotely has allowed me to see my parents every week, something I previously would only be able to do a few times per year.
What did you find in terms of the work? Is it what you expected or different?
Kent: My passions are to help others and create world-class mobile apps. This is exactly what I get to do every day at Veeva. The theme of helping others applies not only to our customers but to our employees, too; there is a dedication to mentorship at all levels of the company.
Veeva faces a unique set of challenges operating in a highly regulated environment, which can slow advancement down. Therefore, the Mobile team has adapted systems and processes to ensure both quality and timely delivery. We often must build solutions from scratch, but because of this, we’re able to benefit from the latest technology stacks and provide incredible solutions to product challenges.
There is always something exciting going on within the Mobile team. The software we develop every day is used to tackle some of the most significant challenges the world faces. From treating cancer to developing COVID-19 vaccines, Veeva is improving the quality of life for millions of people around the world and I feel a deep sense of pride and fulfillment being a part of the team.
If you were going to recruit a friend or engineer, what would you say?
Kent: At Veeva, I’m surrounded by all stars — passionate, smart, dedicated people. When I’m asked what makes this company so special, it’s the people, the purpose and freedom to work anywhere. It’s rare to see this combination of vision, policy and talented people working towards a common goal. I’m thrilled to be a part of the Veeva team!
Interested in learning more about Veeva engineering? Click here to read about our commitment to innovation, product excellence and improving life.
