The product has changed, but the commitment to delivering the goods is as strong as ever.
Meet a Veevan is a series that looks at the employees who bring us life. For this edition, we spoke to Lisa Scheinman, Director of Product Management, Vault Commercial Content, who joined the team three years ago as a Senior Product Manager at Veeva Crossix. Lisa’s work-life began in the gravel mines of her family business in New York State where she learned general contracting skills that she easily compares to the wide range of responsibilities she has today in product management.
What is your personal and professional background and how did you get to Veeva?
Lisa: I was a winter baby and grew up in and around an outdoor wonderland nestled between the Catskills and Hudson Valley in New York State. I spend any free time I have rowing on a live outdoor reality machine or hanging out with my two dogs who are also winter breeds — husky mixes. My upbringing was dominated by a family business focused on my father’s gravel mine in Fallsburg, NY. By the age of 14, I was already working in the office. While I pursued a formal education at Ithaca College, I attribute much of what I am able to do today to the fundamentals I picked up helping run one of several mines and the landscaping business. From my father I learned logistics and being hands-on. From my mother I learned to play well with others. She taught me empathy and how to appreciate all the different types of people and rally them to work together.
At Ithaca College I attended the Park School of Communications minoring in business and thought I might be interested in journalism. I continued my education at Syracuse, Newhouse School of Public Communications. What piqued my interest was the business side of media and I had a chance to meet many ad agencies at our career fairs. My career journey began working in media planning and buying at Mindshare and then I continued to build my work portfolio at several well-known agencies — some of which were acquired along the way. In the world of digital media, some accounts, like LG Electronics, were extremely advanced and great learning experiences to really go deeply into the data and technology behind the media. In my last agency position, I began to appreciate the cross-functional teamwork and hear about other roles that might be of interest. One in particular, product management, was appealing and I pursued that role for the first time at a market research company.
My transition to Veeva’s Crossix Analytics unit was prompted by a former colleague, mentor and friend who had joined Crossix to build the product team. It was a new function in a ten-year-old “startup.” Even though I did not have a life sciences background, my reasons for joining Veeva were twofold. I wanted to be a part of an industry that helps people and I wanted to grow as a product manager in technology.
My recent role at Crossix Analytics was an important one as I transitioned into Veeva. Crossix helps inform marketers of the effectiveness of their campaigns, particularly if they are successful in reaching the audiences that can best benefit from their products. Growing up in a rural area, where we brush off a lot of symptoms and do not seek out medical guidance, advertisements are informative and make you think twice about an ache or pain and what is really causing it.
With regard to being a product manager specifically in technology, working in my family business I saw firsthand how technology is not readily available or cost effective for small businesses. We were so paper based that I parsed together my own CRM system using Microsoft Access just so we could log past orders and delivery details. Of course, I did not know it was a CRM at the time, I saw we had a problem that needed to be solved and moving to a computer-based solution would address our immediate work to be done while being able to scale as we grew. This has sensitized me to how to best serve our full range of Veeva clients.
In my last role, I managed the Crossix Analytics DIFA Platform product team, responsible for the analytics products that are delivered via our user interface, working with Veeva’s customers’ brand management and marketing analytics teams. Now I am responsible for new applications in Vault Commercial Content that enable marketing teams to efficiently manage and distribute approved content.
What’s unique about the work environment and culture at Veeva?
Lisa: I onboarded to Veeva during the pandemic. Until that point, the Crossix Analytics team was predominantly onsite in our beautiful NYC office. I wasn’t sure what to expect with the team going remote and new hires expanding beyond NYC. What I found is that everyone is approachable, happy to help, and you don’t have to be timid about asking for it. For example, when I was hiring for one of the Crossix designers, I reached out to the CRM VP of design for help and was able to experience firsthand how Veevans support each other. Generally speaking, at Veeva, if you see a gap and point it out, people want to hear your suggestions. If you have an idea, you can pitch it and you will experience a receptive environment.
It’s truly a people first culture on all levels. The employee-formed communities — Women, Black, Asian, Pride — are quite genuine — not window dressing. I have been active in the Women’s community and enjoyed meeting with others, educating fellow Veevans on the value of data in this unique sector, and taking advantage of learning from others across the ecosystem in the areas that were new to me.
As for Veeva’s leaders, they are approachable, accessible and transparent. They help keep us connected and focused on the same goals.
How will Veeva help you grow?
Lisa: Veeva has many opportunities for growth and the fact that I have been able to move into a new part of the company in just three short years demonstrates how serious Veeva is about making new opportunities available.
In my previous role, as a leader and mentor, I supported others by looking at each individuals’ strengths and seeing how I could help them take full advantage of opportunities to grow. When I look back at the people that shaped me, I realize how important it is to have others recognize your strengths. In my case, I have a great network of colleagues, friends and my life partner, who helped me identify product management as my career path and encouraged me to grow in this area. The people that you meet along the way can make a huge difference.
Growth comes in many forms and I still remember an experience from our family’s business that left its mark on me. One summer I sent out a delivery of #2 crushed blue stone to a customer but it turned out they needed a heftier stone. It was a scheduling nightmare and I experienced firsthand the ramifications of having a queue of work and all the things that had to be moved around to correct the problem. Today I feel comfortable managing backlogs with an agile team and a frame of reference for doing so. And it’s why I often say that being a product manager is a lot like being a general contractor for corporate America.
What would you say to someone who was thinking of working here?
Lisa: Veeva is made up of a great group of people. If you are ready to participate and dive in, and want to grow in your work, Veeva gives you the chance to make the most of your job. They do not put up guardrails or boxes. And if you find that you want to make a change, they will help you do so inside Veeva.
