Abbott executive who led TAVR, Tendyne divisions announces exit

Chris Waddell, a veteran Abbott executive who spent time leading its transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) and transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR) divisions, has announced he is leaving the company. Sharing the news on social media, Waddell said he plans to “recharge and spend time with family and friends” before returning to a new role in the cardiovascular device industry.

Waddell made the jump from Medtronic to Abbott in 2017, quickly moving up the ranks until he became the vice president of Abbott’s structural heart business in the United States. He served in that role for more than four years before spending time as the U.S. area vice president of TAVR for nearly two years. From there, he became the U.S. area vice president of Abbott’s Tendyne division, helping lead the charge after the Tendyne TMVR device gained a critical U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval in 2025.

“I will be forever grateful to have been part of teams that disrupted markets and drove meaningful revenue and market share expansion across four different verticals,” Waddell said on LinkedIn. “Most importantly, during my time at Abbott, I had the privilege of collaborating with cardiac surgeons, interventional cardiologists, and heart team members in their tireless efforts to relieve patients of the symptoms of valvular disease and restore their quality of life. I continue to marvel at the commitment of heart teams who go to extraordinary lengths to provide curative therapies for patients and their families.”