MLA Places Celia Eckert as General Counsel & Corporate Secretary at Xencor

Hanover, MD (September 26, 2019) — Major, Lindsey & Africa (MLA), the world’s leading legal search firm, today announced the placement of Celia Eckert as general counsel and corporate secretary at Xencor, Inc. in Monrovia, CA. The search was led by PJ Harari, partner, and Heather Fine, partner, of MLA’s In-House Counsel Practice in Los Angeles and Chicago, respectively.

Xencor is a publicly traded, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing engineered monoclonal antibodies for the treatment of cancer, autoimmune diseases, asthma and allergic diseases. In her new role, Celia will manage and maintain the company’s diverse legal matters while supporting business development activities for collaborations and partnerships with other pharmaceutical and biotech companies, as well as evaluating strategic opportunities. As a member of the leadership team, Celia will work closely with the CFO and regularly interact with both internal technical teams and outside counsel to assure the successful and efficient management of the company’s intellectual property.

“This was a competitive national search. Because of Celia’s extensive experience in the life sciences space, she stood out from the beginning as the best choice to serve as Xencor’s next general counsel,” said PJ Harari. “She brings the right background to the table to strategically advise Xencor in this critical time of growth.”

Celia has more than 20 years of in-house and private law firm practice experience in the life sciences Industry advising on complex transactions, capital procurement, litigation, intellectual property, licensing, regulatory strategies, corporate governance and SEC filings. She most recently served as vice president, corporate legal at Synthetic Genomics, Inc. Previously, she served as an associate general counsel for Sequenom, Inc.; senior director of legal affairs for Prometheus Laboratories, Inc.; and senior counsel, contracts and securities for Accredited Home Lenders, Inc. Celia started her career as an associate with both Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman and Jones Day.

Celia earned her J.D. from University of California, Hastings School of Law and her B.A. from University of California, Los Angeles.