From Territory Manager to CCO of a $400M Cardiovascular Powerhouse with Tarik Pacuka

In this episode of the Crux of Cardio, Jordan Burgin sits down with Tarik Pacuka, former Chief Commercial Officer of Terumo Aortic, who scaled the business from a niche textile graft company into a $400M+ global cardiovascular player.

Tarik shares the commercial playbook behind his 15-year rise from territory manager to CCO, the mentorship that shaped his leadership, what product recalls really do to a brand, and why he believes aortic disease is the most suppressed opportunity in cardiovascular.

Key Topics:

Tarik’s career trajectory from pharma to Vascutek to Terumo Aortic CCO

Building and retaining high-performing commercial teams across three time zones

The commercial playbook behind Terumo Aortic’s growth

Managing product recalls and protecting brand confidence

Direct vs. indirect vs. OEM commercial models and where execution falls short

What Tarik looks for in his next move and the red flags he’s watching for

Related Insights:

Why reliability, not innovation, is the real differentiator in Class III medical devices

The role of mentorship in fast-tracking executive careers in medtech

How pharma training gives commercial leaders a competitive edge in medtech

The generational shift from radical invasive surgery to digitally supported, minimally invasive care

Core Challenges:

Aortic disease remains suppressed in terms of the urgency and investment needed. Despite the aorta being formally recognised as an organ, innovation is not moving fast enough to address the full spectrum of aortic conditions with minimally invasive, digitally supported solutions.

Scaling commercial culture across global teams while maintaining trust, purpose and execution discipline is one of the hardest leadership challenges in cardiovascular medtech, particularly when competing against significantly larger incumbents like Medtronic, W.L. Gore and Getinge.

Tune in now to hear how Tarik Pacuka built one of cardiovascular’s most formidable commercial engines, and what he thinks the industry needs next.

The Crux of MedTech podcast is brought to you by Cruxx, a specialist surgical robotics recruitment agency.

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