# Chris Burns

> Chris Burns is a Chicago-area marketing executive, operator and advisor whose work spans healthcare technology, SaaS, hospitality and independent film. As Kalderos's chief marketing officer, he helped reposition Truzo from a compliance product into a broader gross-to-net intelligence platform before Model N acquired Kalderos in June 2026. He also founded Mend Growth Advisors, serves as an operating partner at Sunstone Management Advisors and is a founding partner of Stick & Rudder Films.

- **Role:** Chief Marketing Officer at Kalderos; Founder of Mend Growth Advisors; Operating Partner at Sunstone Management Advisors
- **Organizations:** Kalderos, Mend Growth Advisors, Sunstone Management Advisors, Stick & Rudder Films, Catamaran Corporation
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** The University of Chicago Booth School of Business
- **Known for:** Helped reposition Kalderos's Truzo from a narrowly framed compliance tool into a gross-to-net intelligence platform before Kalderos was acquired by Model N in June 2026., Received Catamaran Corporation's 2013 Innovation Award, an honor for a senior leader who made a material impact through innovation., Received a 2011 Cannes Lions Grand Prix honor in experiential design for The Cosmopolitan Digital Experience.

## Career timeline

- **2011** — Received a Cannes Lions Grand Prix honor in experiential design for The Cosmopolitan Digital Experience.
- **2013** — Received Catamaran Corporation's Innovation Award and became a founding partner of Stick & Rudder Films.
- **2014** — Presented on payer and patient decisions around drug management and medication consumption at PCMA's annual meeting.
- **2015** — Produced and marketed the short film Caring for the Recently Deceased, which screened at film festivals in the United States.
- **2023** — Became an operating partner at Sunstone Management Advisors, focused on brand strategy and sales and marketing enablement.
- **2025** — Published Marketing's Accountability Problem: Time to Face It and identified himself as founder of Mend Growth Advisors.
- **2026-06** — As Kalderos chief marketing officer, was part of the executive team when Model N acquired the company and its Truzo platform.
- **2026-09** — Announced plans to transition out of Kalderos in September after helping reposition Truzo for the market.

## Achievements

- Helped reposition Kalderos's Truzo from a narrowly framed compliance tool into a gross-to-net intelligence platform before Kalderos was acquired by Model N in June 2026.
- Received Catamaran Corporation's 2013 Innovation Award, an honor for a senior leader who made a material impact through innovation.
- Received a 2011 Cannes Lions Grand Prix honor in experiential design for The Cosmopolitan Digital Experience.
- Produced and marketed the 2015 short film Caring for the Recently Deceased through Stick & Rudder Films.
- Built an advisory portfolio spanning Mend Growth Advisors and Sunstone Management Advisors.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — Burns said he would transition out of Kalderos in September and reflected publicly on learning to move from fixer to supporter after an acquisition.
- **2026-06** — Model N completed its acquisition of Kalderos, adding Truzo's claims-level 340B and gross-to-net intelligence capabilities to its revenue-management platform.
- **2025-05** — Published an essay arguing that brand marketing and demand generation should be measured together and held accountable for business outcomes.

## Links

- Website: https://kalderos.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christophertburns

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/chris-burns
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-09-04