P eter Gassner is an American technology entrepreneur and the co-founder and CEO of Veeva Systems, a leading provider of cloud-based software for the life sciences industry. He grew up in Oregon and earned a degree in computer science from Oregon State University. His early career was spent at major technology companies like IBM and PeopleSoft, where he became a key figure in software development and product strategy. He later joined Salesforce as a senior vice president, where he helped build the Salesforce platform.

In 2007, Gassner left Salesforce with a vision to create industry-specific, cloud-based software. He identified the life sciences and pharmaceutical industries as being underserved by modern cloud technology, as they were heavily reliant on legacy, on-premise systems and faced strict regulatory requirements. He co-founded Veeva Systems to address this gap. As CEO, he has led the company's development of a suite of products that help pharmaceutical and biotech companies manage everything from clinical trials and regulatory compliance to sales and marketing. Veeva's industry-specific focus was a massive success, and the company has become a dominant player in its niche, with its 2013 IPO making Gassner a billionaire.