Alexis M. Pinto

Alexis M. Pinto, J.D., is an accomplished legal and strategic executive with over two decades of deep experience in the health care industry. She was formerly chief legal officer and corporate secretary at Zentalis Pharmaceuticals, where she was responsible for all legal, compliance, and corporate governance matters.

Prior to joining Zentalis, Pinto served as corporate vice president and corporate secretary at Celgene Corporation, with broad responsibilities including business development, corporate governance and securities, executive compensation, and early research and development, and where she was lead counsel on critical transactions with significant financial impact and complex IP, commercial, and licensing components, including the US$74 billion acquisition of Celgene by Bristol Myers Squibb and Celgene’s global, immuno-oncology collaboration with BeiGene, Ltd. In addition, Pinto established Celgene’s Office of the Corporate Secretary.

Prior to Celgene, Pinto was with Merck & Co., Inc. for 18 years, moving through roles of increasing scope and complexity, and partnered with research and development, finance, vaccines, manufacturing, sales and marketing, and government/public affairs. In her final post, she served as managing counsel, where she led intricate transactions including the $14.2 billion sale of Merck Consumer Care to Bayer and the establishment of the India-based MSD/Wellcome Trust Hilleman Laboratories. Pinto also led or participated in numerous worldwide corporate initiatives, including those involving diversity, equity, and inclusion. Prior to joining Merck, Pinto was an associate at the law firm Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker.

Pinto earned her J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law and her B.A., magna cum laude, from the University of Virginia. She completed the corporate governance program at Columbia Business School and the leadership in corporate counsel program at Harvard Law School. Pinto is a member of the New York and the New Jersey state bars. Currently, Pinto is an Advisory Board Member, Atlantic Health Systems, and Trustee, the Kefalas-Pinto Foundation.