A Science Company - acting like a SaaS company. - Advisory Sales Executive UL Solutions Employee Review

The company has been changing rapidly over the last five years, and even more so since going public. A new Sales VP was brought in from the SaaS world - someone who found success at a fast-growing tech company and is now trying to transplant that same approach into UL. But UL isn’t a startup; it’s a 130-year-old company that’s never truly operated in "growth mode." The result has been a significant culture clash. The aggressive, high-pressure, numbers-driven sales approach - typical of Silicon Valley or Texas tech firms - doesn't translate well to an organization built around scientific integrity, deep expertise, and long-term client relationships. There’s a noticeable disconnect between legacy business units and the leadership's new direction. Some parts of the business, especially those that don't fit the SaaS mold, are being deprioritized or left to fend for themselves. Meanwhile, the Sales VP and the cohort of SaaS-focused hires he brought in continue to double down on strategies that may work elsewhere, but often miss the mark in this context. It’s created instability, internal competition, and a loss of institutional knowledge.