Our team
The Team Behind
Your Next Search
Search Group of San Diego (SGSD) is a boutique executive search firm exclusively focused on biotech and pharmaceutical R&D.
Each member of our team brings an average of 20 years of direct experience in life sciences executive search. We are not generalists. We operate at the intersection of scientific depth and talent strategy, partnering with companies to secure critical hires from Associate Director through C-level leadership.
Our global network is built on long-standing relationships across discovery biology, translational medicine, clinical development, regulatory affairs, medical affairs, and scientific communications. We continuously map talent markets, track emerging modalities, and maintain direct access to high-performing, often passive candidates. We know how to identify, engage, and close specialized scientific leaders in highly competitive markets.
Every search at SGSD is partner-led and hands-on. Your assignment is never delegated to junior staff. Operating from a single office keeps us agile and efficient, allowing us to offer competitive pricing without compromising senior-level execution.
Our performance-based fee structure aligns our incentives directly with yours. Unlike rigid, time-based billing models, our fees are tied to outcomes. We assume meaningful risk on every engagement because we stand behind our ability to deliver.
We are intentionally selective, choosing to partner with a limited number of clients and assignments where we can make measurable impact. With more than 500 successful searches completed across all therapeutic areas and modalities, our track record reflects both precision and consistency.
We remain actively engaged with leading scientific organizations, including the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS), the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), and others, ensuring our market intelligence remains current. While most of our work is U.S.-based, our reach extends globally across Europe, China, and beyond.
Meet The Team
Ken Israel
Ken Israel is the Founder of Search Group of San Diego (SGSD), a boutique executive search firm exclusively focused on biotechnology and pharmaceutical R&D. For more than 25 years, he has partnered with emerging and established life sciences companies to recruit senior scientific, clinical, and executive leadership.
Ken has completed more than 500 searches across therapeutic areas and modalities, working closely with CEOs, CSOs, and boards during critical growth phases, leadership transitions, and confidential replacements. His expertise lies in identifying and engaging highly specialized, often passive, talent in competitive markets where precision and discretion are essential.
He is known for his direct communication style, disciplined search execution, and long-standing client relationships built on transparency and accountability. Ken’s approach combines rigorous market mapping with a genuine intellectual curiosity about science enabling him to speak the language of the scientists and executives he represents.
Ken earned his B.S. in Business Administration from California State University, San Marcos. A longtime San Diego resident, he is active in environmental initiatives and community causes. Outside of work, he enjoys live music, fine chocolate, and spending time with his family and two Havanese dogs.
To learn more, visit linkedin.com/in/kennethisrael.
Chris Corey
Chris is a retained life science recruiter with nearly two decades of experience, having completed hundreds of executive searches across biotech and pharmaceutical R&D at the VP, SVP, and C-level. He is a primary architect at SGSD for search strategy, market and talent mapping, and go-to-market execution for talent acquisition initiatives.
Chris believes the hallmarks of a great recruiter are a broad market view and pattern recognition that can only come through experience. Having supported hundreds of companies and leadership teams, he understands what drives success in drug development, what success should look like at an operational level, the organizational pitfalls that can lead a company to failure, and how bringing in the right people can mitigate risk and drive meaningful outcomes.
Chris specializes in recruiting scientific and clinical leaders who drive innovation from early discovery through late stage clinical development and medical affairs, across all modalities and therapeutic areas. Chris has helped build leadership teams at stealth-stage startups and global pharma alike, teams that have translated science into new therapeutics for patients, delivered critical data leading to multi-billion-dollar acquisitions, or driven significant market cap increases.
Outside of work, Chris enjoys spending time with his wife, daughter, and son. He is also an avid rock drummer and has played for over 30 years.
Burt Israel
Burt Israel has over 35 years of executive recruiting experience in the Pharmaceutical and Hi-Tech Engineering industries. Since 2006, he has worked with The Search Group of San Diego, placing senior-level Ph.D. scientific staff across a multitude of scientific disciplines for both large Pharma and emerging biotech clientele.
Prior to SGSD, he was Vice President of Telecommunications at National Search Associates for 15 years, one of the largest search firms in San Diego. There, he was responsible for placing Engineering professionals, including SW and Embedded Engineers, ASIC and DSP designers, RF and Microwave Engineers, and Engineering and Manufacturing Managers.
For 10 years prior, he was employed with Robert Half International in Hartford, CT as Head of Engineering Recruiting, and later as the General Manager of the Robert Half office in San Diego. In Hartford, Burt worked for 10 years for IBM as a Sales and Systems Engineer working with Insurance, Manufacturing, and Utility Companies selling and installing large IBM Mainframe computers.
He has a BSME from Carnegie Mellon and an MBA from The University of Hartford. In his free time, Burt enjoys time with his five grandchildren, golfing, and world travel.
Darrin Baker
Darrin joined Search Group of San Diego (SGSD) in 2011 and leads executive searches across biotechnology and pharmaceutical R&D. He has executed searches spanning discovery research through clinical development, including leadership roles in research, clinical operations, regulatory affairs, technical operations, and program management.
Over more than a decade with SGSD, Darrin has partnered with emerging and established life sciences companies to identify highly specialized scientific and operational leaders in competitive markets. His work emphasizes rigorous market mapping, targeted outreach to passive candidates, and disciplined evaluation of scientific depth and leadership capability.
Darrin incorporates advanced AI-driven sourcing and analytics tools to expand candidate identification and improve search efficiency, while maintaining a high-touch, relationship-driven engagement model. This combination enhances precision without compromising judgment.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in Communications from San Diego State University and completed a three-year Executive Management mentorship with MAP, focused on leadership development and performance management. Based in Carmel Valley, Darrin lives in San Diego with his wife and three children and enjoys spending time outdoors with his family.
Karen Daquesian
Karen joined Search Group of San Diego (SGSD) in 2017 and supports executive search engagements across biotechnology and pharmaceutical R&D. She plays an integral role in candidate research, outreach coordination, and search execution, ensuring processes remain organized, responsive, and client-focused.
Karen brings prior experience in leadership and administrative roles across the legal, construction, and manufacturing sectors. This diverse background strengthened her operational discipline, attention to detail, and ability to manage complex workflows, skills that translate directly to the precision required in executive search.
Known for her professionalism and strong interpersonal skills, Karen helps foster productive communication between candidates and clients throughout each stage of the search process.
She earned her B.A. in Communication from the University of Hartford and is based in Connecticut. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, cooking, baking, exercising, and visiting the beach.
