MLA Places Evan D. Kearns as Chief Legal Officer at Cogent Biosciences, Inc.

Hanover, MD (May 4, 2021) — Major, Lindsey & Africa (MLA), the world’s leading legal search firm, today announced the placement of Evan D. Kearns as chief legal officer at Cogent Biosciences, Inc. in Cambridge, Mass. The search was conducted by Elizabeth Long, managing director in Philadelphia, and Amy Katz, managing director in Boston; both with MLA’s In-House Counsel Recruiting group.

Reporting directly to Cogent Biosciences’ Chief Executive Officer, Andrew Robbins, Evan will serve as a strategic member of Cogent’s executive leadership team.  Evan will lead and manage the company’s legal function, providing operational leadership across a wide array of legal, governance and compliance matters. 

Cogent Biosciences is a publicly traded biotechnology company developing real solutions to treat genetically driven diseases. With a focus on rational drug discovery and development, they are leveraging validated biology to advance precision therapies designed to address the true underlying drivers of disease and provide real hope for patients. 

“Evan was the ideal fit for Cogent’s chief legal officer role as he is mission-driven, team oriented, and has an extensive legal background in the biotech space and has demonstrated leadership experience,” said Elizabeth Long. “Not only is Evan agile, dynamic, and strategic, he also possesses an innovative, genuine, and empathetic executive presence that seamlessly fits with Cogent’s culture. We are excited to follow Cogent’s and Evan’s success,” added Amy Katz.

Evan most recently served as vice president, general counsel, corporate secretary and chief compliance officer at Agenus Inc., leading a seven-person legal department for a publicly traded global biopharmaceutical company with more than a dozen clinical and preclinical programs. Before joining Agenus, Evan spent several years as a life sciences corporate associate with Goodwin Proctor LLP. He began his career as an associate with Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge LLP. Evan earned his J.D. from The University of Toledo College of Law and his B.A. from Colby College.