Cogent Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: COGT), a biotechnology company focused on developing precision therapies for genetically defined diseases, today announced the appointment of Andrew Robbins as President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Mr. Robbins will also serve as a member on the Cogent Board of Directors. Mr. Robbins succeeds Chuck Wilson, PhD, who served as President and CEO of Cogent (formerly Unum Therapeutics Inc.) since founding the company in 2014.

"We are thrilled to welcome Andy to Cogent as we continue to rapidly develop our lead asset, PLX9486, to treat patients living with systemic mastocytosis and GIST," said Peter Harwin, Chair, Board of Directors for Cogent. "Andy's strong track record and deep expertise in developing and commercializing precision therapies will be invaluable, and his passion for bringing new therapies to patients will be critically important as he leads Cogent into the future."

Mr. Harwin continued, "We extend our deep appreciation and gratitude to Chuck for his excellent leadership over the years and commend his dedication to bringing meaningful solutions to patients in serious need."

Mr. Robbins is an accomplished executive with extensive commercial, development, and strategic leadership experience during a 20-year career in the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on oncology and hematology products. Most recently, he served at Array Biopharma as the Chief Operating Officer where he was responsible for the successful commercialization of two novel precision oncology products before Array's acquisition by Pfizer in 2019.

"I am excited to join Cogent, a company committed to developing best-in-class precision medicines to improve the lives of patients fighting rare, genetically defined diseases," said Andrew Robbins, President and CEO of Cogent. "I look forward to working together with the leadership team, the Board, and the dedicated Cogent employees to advance PLX9486 through clinical development while identifying the best opportunities to broaden our research and development pipeline in the near future."

Prior to joining Array, Mr. Robbins held management positions at both Hospira, Inc., a global pharmaceutical and medical device company, and Pfizer, Inc. as part of its Oncology business unit. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for Harpoon Therapeutics and Turmeric Acquisition Corporation. Mr. Robbins holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Swarthmore College.

Inducement Equity Award

Cogent today also announced that, on October 23, 2020, the Board of Directors for Cogent approved an inducement award to Mr. Robbins of an option to purchase 7,442,421 shares of common stock. The option has an exercise price equal to the closing price of Cogent's common stock on October 23, 2020 (the "Grant Date") and will be exercisable over four years with 25% of the shares becoming exercisable on the first year anniversary of the Grant Date, and the remaining 75% of the shares becoming exercisable in 36 equal monthly installments thereafter. The option has a ten-year term and is subject to the terms and conditions of the Cogent 2020 Inducement Plan (the "2020 Inducement Plan") and the stock option agreement pursuant to which the option was granted.

The 2020 Inducement Plan is used exclusively for the grant of equity awards to individuals who were not previously an employee or non-employee director of Cogent (or following a bona fide period of non-employment), as an inducement material to such individual's entering into employment with Cogent, pursuant to Rule 5635(c)(4) of the Nasdaq Listing Rules.

About Cogent Biosciences, Inc.

Cogent Biosciences, Inc. is a biotechnology company focused on developing precision therapies for genetically defined diseases. Cogent's most advanced program, PLX9486, is a selective tyrosine kinase inhibitor that is designed to potently inhibit the KIT D816V mutation as well as other mutations in KIT exon 17. KIT D816V is responsible for driving Systemic Mastocytosis, a serious disease caused by unchecked proliferation of mast cells. Exon 17 mutations are also found in patients with advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST), a type of cancer with strong dependence on oncogenic KIT signaling. Cogent is headquartered in Cambridge, MA. Visit Cogent's website for more information at www.cogentbio.com. Follow Cogent Biosciences on social media: Twitter and LinkedIn.