Peter Gassner | $1B+
Get in touch with Peter Gassner | Peter Gassner, cofounder and CEO of Veeva Systems, built one of the most successful vertical software companies by focusing exclusively on cloud solutions for the life sciences industry. After an early career at Salesforce, where he helped scale enterprise cloud adoption, Gassner launched Veeva in 2007 to serve pharmaceutical and biotech companies with regulated, mission-critical applications. Under his leadership, Veeva became a publicly traded, highly profitable software company known for deep industry specialization, long-term customer relationships, and disciplined execution. Gassner’s approach exemplifies the power of focus and vertical expertise in enterprise software.
Peter Gassner is an American software executive and entrepreneur best known as the founder and chief executive officer of Veeva Systems, a cloud computing company specializing in software solutions for the global life sciences industry, including pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors.[1][2]
Gassner co-founded Veeva in 2007 alongside Matt Wallach, leveraging Salesforce's platform to develop industry-specific applications that address compliance, customer relationship management, and content management needs in regulated environments.[1][3] Prior to Veeva, he built extensive expertise in enterprise software, beginning as a relational database developer at IBM, followed by leadership roles at PeopleSoft and a four-year stint at Salesforce.com, where he contributed to customer relationship management innovations.[1][2]
A graduate of Oregon State University, Gassner earned a Bachelor of Science in computer science in 1989 from the College of Engineering's Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.[2] Under his leadership, Veeva has pioneered the category of vertical cloud software for life sciences, growing into a publicly traded company (NYSE: VEEV) that serves major clients such as Pfizer and AbbVie, and has been recognized for delivering efficiency gains worth millions in the pharmaceutical sector.[3][2] In 2010, Gassner was named to the PharmaVOICE 100 list of the most influential figures in life sciences.[2]
Early life
Family background and childhood
Peter Gassner was born in February 1965 in Portland, Oregon, as the third of six children in a family of Swiss immigrants. His parents, both from Switzerland, had relocated to the United States, where they raised their large Roman Catholic household during a period of economic transition in the Pacific Northwest, marked by the decline of the lumber industry. The immigrant roots of the family instilled a strong sense of resilience and self-reliance from an early age, as Gassner later reflected on the challenges of adapting to a new country and building stability.[4][5][6]
Gassner's father, who had limited formal education and had worked as a blacksmith in Switzerland before immigrating, owned and operated a machine shop in Portland, which became a central influence on family dynamics. The business demanded hands-on involvement from the children, exposing Gassner to manual labor and the realities of entrepreneurship at a young age; by age 12, he was operating heavy equipment in the shop. His father's willingness to take financial risks, such as securing loans that could jeopardize the family home, demonstrated the precarious nature of small business ownership and shaped Gassner's understanding of perseverance and customer dependency, with his father emphasizing that "large customers" effectively served as the "boss." This environment fostered a deep appreciation for technical skills and hard work, contrasting with more structured upbringings.[4][5][6]
The large family size further encouraged early independence and responsibility, as Gassner, being the third child, often took on roles that built his work ethic. He began working at age 8 as a paperboy, followed by mowing lawns and restaurant jobs; notably, he was fired from his first dishwashing position at 13 for being underage but returned legally at 14. During high school, Gassner launched and ran his own roofing business, honing entrepreneurial skills through direct customer interactions and operational challenges. These experiences, rooted in the family's immigrant-driven emphasis on self-sufficiency, laid the foundation for his later persistence in professional endeavors.[4][6]
Education and formative experiences
Gassner's interest in technology was sparked during high school by a math teacher who noticed his aptitude for mathematics and encouraged him to enroll in a computer programming class. This recommendation proved pivotal, igniting a passion for computing that guided his academic pursuits.[6][4]
He attended Oregon State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science in 1989, though his path was unconventional as he intermittently paused his studies to travel abroad. During these college breaks, Gassner spent time in Hawaii, Australia, and Thailand, working as a trekking guide in the latter to support himself and gain practical experience in remote environments. At age 21, while hitchhiking in southern Malaysia, he was robbed of all his cash and passport, left stranded on a rural road; he later reflected on maintaining composure during the ordeal, realizing that "the only important thing is what's in your mind."[7][2][7]
These formative travels and challenges cultivated Gassner's adaptability and crisis management skills, fostering a resilient problem-solving mindset that influenced his commitment to software engineering as a career. The experiences broadened his global perspective and emphasized mental resilience over material losses, qualities that later informed his approach to technical innovation and leadership.[7]
Professional career
Early roles in software development
Following his graduation with a Bachelor of Science in computer science from Oregon State University in 1989, Peter Gassner began his professional career at IBM, where he spent approximately five years in the early 1990s focusing on relational database technology.[8] He worked at IBM's Silicon Valley Laboratory in San Jose, California, contributing to the development of the DB2 relational database management system, and also at the IBM Almaden Research Center, engaging in advanced research on database optimization techniques.[8][9]
During his tenure at IBM, Gassner co-authored influential work on query optimization strategies for industrial-strength relational database systems, including methods to enhance performance in the DB2 family of products through advanced optimization algorithms.[10] This research emphasized efficient query processing and system scalability, drawing on collaborations with key figures in database technology and contributing to the foundational architecture that powered DB2's commercial deployment.[9] His hands-on involvement in these projects solidified his expertise in database engineering before transitioning to broader software architecture roles.
In late 1994, at around age 30, Gassner joined PeopleSoft in Pleasanton, California, where he served for nine years as Chief Architect and General Manager of PeopleTools, the company's core development platform for enterprise resource planning (ERP) applications.[11] Overseeing a team of more than 450 engineers, he directed the evolution of PeopleTools into a robust, metadata-driven framework that enabled rapid customization and deployment of enterprise software for thousands of customers.[12][13]
Under Gassner's leadership, key innovations in PeopleTools architecture included advancements in portal technology and web services integration, notably the development of the Intelligent Context Manager, which proactively delivered contextual information to users during transactions to improve decision-making efficiency.[14] This feature enhanced the platform's ability to support real-time data interactions, such as integrating sales opportunities with accounts payable workflows, and positioned PeopleTools as a competitive alternative to platforms from Oracle and SAP by emphasizing user-centric, extensible design principles.[14] These contributions focused on creating scalable tools that abstracted complex backend processes, allowing developers to build modular ERP solutions without deep coding in low-level languages.[12]
Leadership positions at major tech firms
Peter Gassner served as Senior Vice President of Technology at Salesforce.com from 2003 to 2007, where he oversaw the company's technological strategy and development during a pivotal period of growth. In this role, he led a small initial engineering team that expanded alongside the company, which grew from a few hundred employees to approximately 1,000 during his tenure.[15][16][17]
Gassner's contributions were instrumental in advancing Salesforce's cloud-based customer relationship management (CRM) platform, including directing the architecture of core products and fostering the adoption of software-as-a-service (SaaS) models. He helped build the foundational platform that supported Salesforce's initial public offering in 2004 and subsequent scaling, providing him with deep insights into cloud computing that informed his later entrepreneurial pursuits. This work emphasized scalable technology infrastructure and cross-functional team leadership to drive innovation in enterprise software.[15][18][19]
In 2007, Gassner departed Salesforce following a mid-career reflection in his late 30s, which he characterized as a "late bloomer" phase involving personal reassessment of his professional purpose amid financial stability. This introspection led him to take nearly two years off for family travel and self-discovery, ultimately inspiring the inception of Veeva Systems as an industry-specific cloud solution.[15][20]
Post-Salesforce, Gassner joined the board of directors at Zoom Video Communications in November 2015, offering expertise in cloud technology and SaaS scaling during the company's expansion. He remained involved until resigning effective August 31, 2025, following notification on August 14, 2025, contributing to strategic decisions that supported Zoom's growth into a leading video communications platform.[21][22]
Founding and growth of Veeva Systems
In 2007, Peter Gassner co-founded Veeva Systems with Matt Wallach, Doug Ostler, and Mitch Wallace, aiming to deliver cloud-based software solutions tailored for the pharmaceutical and life sciences industry.[23][6] The company was established to address the sector's need for specialized tools that could handle complex regulatory requirements and operational workflows more efficiently than general-purpose software.[24] Drawing from Gassner's prior experience at Salesforce, the founders positioned Veeva to leverage cloud technology for industry-specific applications, starting with a focus on customer relationship management (CRM) for sales and marketing teams in pharma.[25]
Veeva pioneered the "industry cloud" model under Gassner's vision, creating a suite of interconnected cloud applications optimized for life sciences rather than adapting horizontal tools to vertical needs. This approach emphasized CRM capabilities through products like Veeva Vault CRM, which unifies sales, marketing, and medical functions with compliant data management.[26] Complementing this, Veeva developed content management solutions such as Vault PromoMats for handling promotional materials and regulatory submissions, alongside tools like Veeva RIM for end-to-end regulatory information management to ensure compliance with global standards like FDA and EMA requirements.[27] By integrating these into a single platform, Veeva enabled life sciences companies to streamline processes from clinical trials to commercial operations, reducing silos and enhancing data integrity.[28]
Gassner has served as CEO since Veeva's inception, guiding the company through rapid scaling to become a multi-billion-dollar public entity.[29] The firm went public via an IPO on the New York Stock Exchange in October 2013, raising $261 million and achieving a market capitalization exceeding $2.4 billion on its debut day, with fiscal 2013 revenue reaching approximately $130 million.[30] Under his leadership, Veeva's annual revenue grew to over $2.7 billion by fiscal 2025, fueled by organic expansion and adoption by more than 1,000 customers worldwide, including major pharmaceutical firms, serving more than 1,400 customers as of 2025.[31][32] Global reach expanded significantly, with offices and operations in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America, supporting over 7,000 employees as of 2025 and tailoring solutions for international regulatory landscapes.[33][34][35]
Key to this growth were Gassner's strategic decisions, including the adoption of quarterly planning cycles to maintain agility in product development and resource allocation amid the fast-evolving life sciences sector.[36] He placed strong emphasis on customer satisfaction, viewing areas of dissatisfaction as opportunities for innovation, which contributed to high retention rates and word-of-mouth adoption in a compliance-heavy industry. Additionally, navigating pharma-specific challenges—such as stringent data security, validation requirements, and global harmonization of regulations—through purpose-built features in Veeva's platform helped solidify its leadership position.[18][37]
Achievements and impact
Awards and recognitions
In 2010, Peter Gassner was selected as one of the PharmaVOICE 100, recognizing the 100 most influential people in the life sciences industry for his early leadership at Veeva Systems.[38]
Gassner was inducted into the Oregon State University College of Engineering's Academy of Distinguished Engineers in 2013, honoring his contributions to the software industry over a career spanning more than two decades at that point.[2]
As of 2025, Gassner has been included in Forbes' list of the 400 richest Americans, ranking at #339, a recognition tied to the substantial valuation of Veeva Systems and his significant ownership stake in the company.[1]
Contributions to industry and innovation
Peter Gassner pioneered vertical cloud SaaS solutions for the life sciences industry through founding Veeva Systems in 2007, creating specialized cloud software tailored to the life sciences industry. This approach addressed inefficiencies in pharmaceutical processes by providing integrated solutions for customer relationship management, content management, and data handling, enabling faster and more compliant operations.[39][40]
Under Gassner's leadership, Veeva's Vault platform revolutionized clinical trials and regulatory compliance by offering a unified system for document management, trial master file preparation, and electronic regulatory submissions, reducing activation times for studies and ensuring adherence to stringent industry standards. Veeva's innovations, such as eRegulatory tools for research sites, streamlined investigator site files and improved data accuracy in trials, serving over 1,000 life sciences customers including major pharmaceutical firms.[41][42]
Gassner advanced cloud adoption in regulated industries by demonstrating the viability of industry-specific cloud platforms, positioning Veeva as a benchmark for vertical software that transitions legacy systems to scalable, secure environments compliant with FDA and other regulations. This shift facilitated broader digital transformation in life sciences, accelerating drug development cycles while maintaining data integrity. In August 2025, Veeva announced a long-term partnership with IQVIA, resolving prior disputes and enabling expanded collaborations in clinical and commercial data solutions to further enhance industry efficiency.[39][40][43]
In scaling tech companies, Gassner advocated for employee empowerment through initiatives like bi-annual check-ins, equity distribution to 93.5% of staff, and a "Work Anywhere" policy that fosters trust and flexibility without non-compete restrictions. Veeva's conversion to a public benefit corporation in 2021 codified its purpose to enhance industry productivity and create high-quality jobs, prioritizing customer satisfaction via annual value delivery and long-term relationships over short-term metrics.[44][45]
Drawing from interviews, Gassner shared insights on capital-efficient growth, noting Veeva raised only $4 million—much of it unused—while building a multi-billion-dollar revenue business funded primarily by customer deals, such as early invoicing from Pfizer to support development. He emphasized a long-term vision of evolving from a single-product CRM to a multi-product suite, accepting risks to capture greater market share despite initial uncertainties.[46][40]
Gassner's mid-career transition from engineering roles at PeopleSoft and Salesforce to entrepreneurship exemplified turning challenges into unicorn success; after facing sales rejections and building platforms for others, he leveraged persistence and a focus on excellence to secure Veeva's first major deals, growing the company to a nearly $48 billion valuation as of November 2025 through disciplined execution and team chemistry.[46][40][47]
Personal life
Family and residence
Peter Gassner is married to Piyajit Gassner and is the father of two sons, maintaining a private family life away from public scrutiny.[48][1]
Gassner has resided in Pleasanton, California, since co-founding Veeva Systems in 2007, a location that aligns closely with the company's headquarters in the same city.[1][6]
As of November 2025, Gassner's net worth is estimated at $4.9 billion, primarily derived from his substantial equity stake in Veeva Systems as co-founder and CEO.[1]
His compensation reflects strong company performance, including a performance-based stock option grant valued at $172.4 million in fiscal year 2025, tied to Veeva's share price achievements and approved by the board.[49][50]
Philanthropy and personal interests
Peter Gassner has leveraged his position as a billionaire entrepreneur to support charitable causes through significant personal donations. In September 2022, he announced plans to donate up to 1,000,000 shares of Veeva Systems Class B common stock—converted to Class A shares—to a donor-advised charitable gift fund, with the donations occurring in multiple installments between December 2022 and December 2023; the proceeds from the fund's sale of these shares were designated solely for charitable contributions, over which Gassner would have no control.[51]
Gassner extends his commitment to philanthropy through Veeva Systems' corporate citizenship initiatives, which he has championed as founder and CEO. Under his leadership, Veeva transitioned to a public benefit corporation in 2021, embedding a purpose to enhance productivity in life sciences industries while creating high-quality employment opportunities and addressing social issues such as employee wellbeing and access to healthcare advancements. The company's 1% Veeva Giving program, which Gassner has endorsed as employee-driven to respect personal giving preferences, allocates an amount equal to 1% of each employee's base salary annually for donations to non-profits of their choice; in calendar year 2023, Veeva employees collectively donated $6.1 million to over 6,500 organizations via this initiative. Additional efforts include donating over 100 laptops to local schools and supporting community programs like youth coding events and volunteer activities in Pleasanton, California. Gassner has been recognized for these "tech for good" endeavors, including as a leader in charitable tech initiatives in 2022, emphasizing how such programs use technology to improve human health and societal equity.[52][44][53][54][55]
Beyond philanthropy, Gassner's personal interests reflect a passion for cultural exploration shaped by his formative travels. During college, he took extended breaks in Thailand, where he worked as a trekking guide, an experience that led him to learn and become fluent in speaking Thai. This linguistic skill underscores his broader cultural interests, including appreciation for international experiences that he occasionally shares through family travels.
Disclaimer: This profile is based on publicly available information. No endorsement or affiliation is implied.
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