Keith Giarman serves as Executive Vice President & President, Venture/Private Equity Practice in the firm’s San Francisco, CA and New York, NY offices. Working closely with top venture capital and private equity firms around the country, Mr. Giarman’s executive search practice focuses on their internal hiring needs (partners, principals, and associates) as well as their portfolio companies working with DHR experts in multiple disciplines: technology, life sciences, retail / consumer, financial services, and other areas. Prior to joining DHR, Mr. Giarman directed the C level recruiting practice for Vantage Partners, a boutique firm focused on the placement of senior executives for pre-IPO VC-backed companies. He also brings more than 20 years of general management experience to DHR in senior operating roles in the technology industry where he built multiple management teams in both large public and pre-IPO companies. Mr.Giarman has personally been involved in raising venture capital in excess of $75 million, most recently as President and CEO of Clarus Systems where he raised more than $20 million to launch the company. He has also been involved in several other start-up companies in a consulting or executive management role, including IAsia Works (IPO), NightFire Software (acquired by Neustar), and Cygent (acquired by Convergys). Before moving to Silicon Valley, Mr. Giarman was Vice President of Sales, Service, and Marketing at Citizens Communications (NYSE: CZN), today a $3 billion full-service communications carrier. He was one of 5 executives on the senior leadership team and was responsible for an organization consisting of 800 employees, $1 billion in revenue, and $200 million in operating income. Here, he was involved in nearly $500 million in acquisition activity during his tenure. Mr. Giarman earned his BA at UC San Diego and his MBA from Harvard Business School, where he was recruited into the HBS PhD program and spent a year at the school working with two tenured professors developing innovative coursework on adult psychological development and mid-career executive transition. He grew up outside New Haven, CT and attended the Hopkins School, where he was appointed President of the Alumni Association and then a Trustee of the school. He is currently Chairman of the Western Region Board of Jumpstart, a nationwide non-profit that employs college students to ensure disadvantaged pre-school children are socially and academically prepared for kindergarten.