PROFESSIONAL PROFILE
Liam Vernon Silk joined ZRG in 2023 as a Managing Director in the firm’s Global Life Sciences and Healthcare practice, specializing in venture capital. With over 15 years of executive search experience, Liam brings a unique perspective to building high-performing R&D teams by placing himself at the intersection of academia and industry. Drawn to high science and innovation, Liam previously led Executive Recruiting for Flagship Pioneering. Maintaining a focus on venture creation and early platform development, he has helped to launch 6 New Co’s from ideation to series B and beyond.
Previous Experience
Most recently, he oversaw Executive Talent Acquisition for Sana Biotechnology. As an early employee of the cell and gene startup, he helped cultivate the company’s culture and build-out of all three innovation sites (Seattle, Boston, and San Francisco), growing the organization from an incubator with 10 employees to well over 500. Notably, he contributed to the second-largest IPO in biotech history.
In addition to venture capital, Liam previously held executive recruiting roles at large pharma companies including Merck, Novartis, and Sandoz. He has been instrumental in building executive talent teams across the full product lifecycle within the US, Canada, and Europe.
Liam began his search career in the UK at Korn Ferry International. As a consultant in the Life Science practice, he specialized in recruiting senior-level executives for biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and medical device companies at all stages of development.
Education
Liam received a bachelor’s degree in Pharmacology from the University of Manchester.