Liam J. Burns

CEO of Qaelon Medical - Category Builder - Ultra Trail Runner - Keynote Speaker - Board Advisor. Bringing leak detection into the Digital Surgery Age.

Denver, Colorado, United States

About

Growth Driving Executive and Board member driving revenue and P&L growth through transformational leadership, dynamic commercialization strategies, collaboration, and disciplined operational management. Deep clinical understanding of robotic and minimally invasive surgery with 25+ years of experience enhancing the way surgery is performed for cancer, GI disease, and metabolic health. AREAS OF EXPERTISE: ~Revenue growth and margin improvement ~Commercial strategy and product launches ~Fundraising and investor management ~Clinical trials and FDA clearance ~Innovation and new product development ~Building global KOL networks ~Market modeling and pricing strategy ~Global sales leadership and channel strategies CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: ^ Grew J&J Biosurgery internal startup from $68M to $190M over five years (23% CAGR). ^ Raised $53M for Dextera Surgical leveraging minimally invasive surgery expertise. ^ Accelerated double-digit revenue growth for Conmed with AirSeal Robotic Solution – fastest new product in company history to achieve $10M revenue with 60K procedures (11 months). ^ Reduced cash burn 30% and cost-of-goods 35% for pre-commercial biosurgery company. ^ Cultivated global network of 150+ leading KOL’s in minimally invasive and robotic surgery. ^ Increased Gallup engagement score from 29th to 74th percentile for diverse Conmed commercial team. ^ CEO/Founder of trusted consultancy sought out by medtech investment community throughout career. ^ Co-founded World Congress on Diabetes Surgery expanding CMS reimbursement of bariatric surgery.

Experience

  • Chief Executive Officer & Chief Commercial Officer at Qaelon Medical
    Mar 2024 - Present · 2 yrs 5 mos

    Leading corporate strategy, fundraising, product development, clinical evidence generation, and commercialization. Driving development of the first and only real-time, data-driven standardized leak-detection test - digitizing a critical step in surgery that has remained analog for more than 100 years. Built on a disruptive smart constant-flow insufflation platform, Qaelon generates real-time intraoperative data to support AI-driven decision-making across robotic, laparoscopic, and endoluminal surgery. ^ Pivoted Qaelon’s strategy to a dual-capability platform combining digital leak detection with smart constant-flow insufflation, expanding total addressable market from $225M to ~$3B. ^ Accelerated product development and improved clinical workflow efficiency, reducing automated leak-detection testing time from ~2 minutes to <30 seconds while maintaining 100% system accuracy. ^ Created the first open-architecture GI surgical data ecosystem integrating pre, intra, and post-operative technologies through strategic partnerships sharing multimodal surgical data to enable AI-driven surgical intelligence and predictive analytics. ^ Recruited a world-class Scientific Advisory Board and established the first Data Advisory Board in GI surgery, uniting global surgeon innovators, endoscopists, AI experts, and data scientists to guide clinical and data strategy. ^ Led development of the first technology enabling objective confirmation of full-thickness closure integrity in organ-sparing endoluminal surgery.

  • Expert Advisor at AlphaSights
    Oct 2022 - Present · 3 yrs 10 mos

    As an Expert Advisor at AlphaSights, I play a pivotal role in providing strategic insights into minimally invasive surgery, focusing on laparoscopic, robotic, and endoscopy procedures and device companies. By analyzing major industry trends and conducting competitive assessments, I help clients unlock a knowledge advantage in the field to develop innovative strategies and understand drivers of corporate value for investors and strategics.

  • Principal and Founder at EP Burns Consulting Group, LLC
    Oct 2007 - Present · 18 yrs 10 mos

    Trusted executive consultant providing outsourced senior leadership for early-stage medical device startups, product development, and product launches. Clients include Ethicon, KCI, J&J Dermatology, Novartis Diabetes, Modular Medical, Dextera, Z-Medica, Omni-stat Medical, and Cornell University. Select engagements include: ~GENERAL MANAGER, MyAir, Inc. (2021 – 2022). Developed comprehensive US business strategy for hospital grade respiratory monitoring device and consumer wearable platform in treatment of COPD and CHF. ^ Developed strategies for commercialization, fundraising, reimbursement, and regulatory approval. ^ Led business development, strategic partnership implementation, and investor deck development. ^ Authored FDA regulatory submission and Emergency Use Authorization for patients with COVID. ~CHIEF COMMERCIAL OFFICER (Acting) and Board Member, Modular Medical, Inc. (2019 – 2020). Provided commercial leadership and executive coaching to CEO of next generation disposable insulin pump. ^ Developed commercialization strategy, market model, branding, packaging, and pricing. ^ Drove product refinement and feature prioritization aligning marketing strategy, competitive market analysis, and user-based primary market research. ~CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER/CHIEF COMMERCIAL OFFICER, Endo-TAGGS, Inc. (2018 – 2019). CEO/CCO of pre-commercial first and only gastric access trocar for endoscopic treatment of GERD, Obesity, and GI cancer. ^ Created business plan, investor presentation, commercialization strategy, and market model. ^ Reduced COGS by 70% through product design refinements. ^ Expanded IP with two new products increasing total available market (TAM) from $71M to $230M. ^ Developed clinical strategy and pre-clinical labs resulting in two Harvard Medical School publications. ^ Co-authored U.S. regulatory strategy and led pre-submission meeting with FDA.

  • Vice President, Global Marketing at CONMED Corporation
    Apr 2021 - Oct 2022 · 1 yr 7 mos

    Drove double-digit revenue growth for Conmed’s largest division ($500M annual revenue). Shared responsibility for corporate revenue, income, and EPS goals. P&L responsibility for commercial team spanning four medical device portfolios in minimally invasive, robotic, and open surgery. Led remote team of 30 and $12M budget. ^ Accelerated double-digit revenue growth for Conmed with launch of AirSeal Robotic Solution – fastest new product in company history to achieve $10M revenue with 60K procedures (11 months). ^ Increased profit $13M and improved margins over two years with revamped pricing strategy. ^ Refined new product design process increasing speed to market and reducing R&D costs. Saved $600K and 6 months in pre-clinical trials for largest innovation in pipeline. ^ Dramatically improved team’s Gallup Engagement Score in first year from 29th to 74th percentile. ^ Developed Conmed’s first ever integrated digital marketing campaign, delivering 35% procedure growth. ^ Collaboration expanded the role of marketing from sales support to fully integrated commercial team. ^ Leveraged personal KOL network to increase sales, optimize product portfolio, and accelerate pipeline. ^ Implemented several company-wide process improvements to build foundation for sustainable growth

  • Chief Executive Officer and Chief Commercial Officer at CuraSeal inc.
    Oct 2017 - Oct 2018 · 1 yr 1 mo

    Selected by private equity owners (Savitr Capital) to turnaround pre-commercial biosurgery company developing fistula repair products. Responsible for P&L, finance, product development, manufacturing, R&D, regulatory, clinical trials, and Chief Commercial Officer. Quickly assessed clinical performance and IP to pivot strategy from medical device to drug delivery. Reported to Board of Directors, managed 30 FTE and $20M operating expense. ^ Reduced cash burn 30% to extend life of the company 6 months through pipeline prioritization, operations consolidation, team restructuring, and cost-cutting. ^ Reduced cost-of-goods 35% through product refinements and contract negotiation with leading CMO. ^ Revamped failing quality management system, documented procedures, and completed transition of CE mark to BSI Notified Body and latest ISO 13485:2016 with zero inspection observations. ^ Developed network of KOL’s to review R&D pipeline and stem cell drug delivery combination therapy. ^ Positioned company’s IP assets for sale when lead product had mixed clinical results.