Five minutes with Veramed

What does Veramed do?
Veramed is a mid-size CRO specialising in outsourced statistics and programming services for the pharmaceutical and biotech industry. We work as part of our clients’ teams using their internal systems and SOPs, we also work on standalone consultancy projects and can source and recruit highly skilled biometrics teams for clients. We are a trusted provider that bases our high quality work on three core values; Integrity, Collaboration and Excellence.

Tell us a little about your history and story so far...
The business was launched in 2012 by Matt and Emma Jones who identified a gap in the market for high quality statistics and programming consultancy. They felt CROs needed more accountability and started Veramed on the basis of providing excellence, transparency and rigorous governance and communication processes that have evolved and are now even better in 2020.

Veramed now employs over 150 people across sites in Twickenham, Cheshire (Glasshouse), Swansea and most recently Ukraine. We also have a vast team of biometrics contractors who work closely with us on projects.

The past year or so has been a challenging year for all, but Veramed has continued to thrive and grow. What have been your highlights?
We, like many other businesses across the world, had to pivot quickly to get everyone working from home. We did this before the first lockdown in March 2020; we closely monitor productivity, which we are pleased to say has actually increased this year whilst we have been working remotely. 

We have been and continue to be very focussed on staff wellbeing and mental health this year; we rolled out a new Employee Assistance Programme back in the summer that gives our staff and their families free 24/7 access to trained counsellors. Our internal communications have been increased to support everyone during the pandemic; we’ve sent regular gifts such as hampers and Chilly’s water bottles, to keep everyone’s spirits up and we’ve done lots of online socials including scavenger hunts and cooking classes. 

Our biggest achievement, alongside some exciting new client wins, was recently becoming a Certified B Corp. This unique certification meets the highest standards of verified performance, transparency and accountability and is a ‘better’ way to do business - better for workers, better for communities and better for the environment. We are thrilled to be joining the B Corp community and leading the global movement of people using business as a force for good.

What are you most excited about when moving into Glasshouse?
For me personally this is coming full circle; after I graduated (back in the day when ICI was becoming Zeneca) my first job was at Alderley Park, in the building that is now Glasshouse. I have been at the Park all my working career and couldn’t imagine working anywhere else.

Glasshouse is a lovely space and will allow us to expand our Cheshire office over the next few years.  

I’m very much looking forward to opening the new office in 2021.

What sort of skills does Veramed look for? What tips would you give to students and graduates wanting to get into the sector or to consider biostatistics?
The culture of the working environment at Veramed aims for shared norms which encourages all voices and all ideas, curiosity and innovation is welcomed from any level of experience. We recognise the benefit and embrace having a team with diverse backgrounds and experiences. We encourage those who question and those who want to know more. Our graduates tend to have a natural curiosity, strong self-starter traits and an aptitude for logic.

What’s next for Veramed?
We’re working on some significant new client opportunities that will see us grow considerably as an organisation in 2021. We’ll be expanding our office in the Ukraine and looking to increase our presence in the US specifically in the biotech market. And we’ll be working on some exciting high profile collaborations to encourage more Statisticians to embark on careers in the pharmaceutical industry after their studies.

What’s the best thing about being based at Alderley Park?
Alderley Park is a great place to work, with all the facilities you could ever need at your fingertips from the gym to restaurants, to woodland walks round the mere. There is nothing quite like it in this region.