Randal J. Kirk

Randal J. Kirk: Career Highlights

After being admitted to the bar in 1980, Kirk became the only attorney in Bland, Virginia. In 1983, he co-founded General Injectables and Vaccines with John Gregory. The company was later sold to Henry Schein, Inc. for $65 million in 1998. Kirk also founded New River Pharmaceuticals in 1996, took it public in 2004, and sold it to Shire in 2007 for $2.6 billion, earning over $1 billion for himself.

In 1999, Kirk established the life-sciences investment firm Third Security, LLC. He served on the board of directors for Scios, Inc. from 2000 to 2002 and became the majority stock holder and chairman of Clinical Data, Inc. Clinical Data was sold to Forest Laboratories for $1.2 billion in 2011.

Kirk was involved with the biotechnology company Intrexon in the 2000s, becoming its chairman in 2008 and CEO in 2009. He took Intrexon public in 2013, leading to a market cap of $2.5 billion. In early 2020, Intrexon adopted the name of its subsidiary, Precigen, and Kirk stepped down as CEO, with Helen Sabzevari taking over leadership.

Kirk has been involved in various companies advocating genetic engineering, including disease-resistant mosquitoes and non-browning apples. His projects encompass cancer treatments, gasoline substitutes, crop protection, and improving bovine genetics.