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Table of Contents 34 PROPOSAL 1 — ELECTION OF DIRECTORS Nine directors are to be elected to serve until the next annual meeting of shareholders and until their successors have been duly elected and qualified. All of the nominees listed below are currently members of our Board of Directors. The nominees have consented to serve if elected, and we have no reason to believe that any of them will be unable to serve. If any nominee becomes unavailable for any reason, proxies will be voted for the alternate candidate, if any, chosen by the Board or the number of directors constituting the full Board will be reduced to eliminate the vacancy. The proxies will be voted for the election of each of the nominees unless instructed otherwise. The Board of Directors recommends that shareholders vote FOR all nominees. Our Restated Articles of Incorporation provide that a director nominee will be elected only if he or she receives a majority of the votes cast with respect to an uncontested election (that is, the number of shares voted "for" a director nominee must exceed the number of votes cast "against" that nominee). If a nominee who is currently serving as a director is not re- elected, Michigan law provides that the director would continue to serve as a "holdover director." Accordingly, under our Corporate Governance Guidelines, each director has submitted an advance, contingent, irrevocable resignation that may be accepted if the shareholders do not re-elect the director. In that situation, the Governance and Nominating Committee will promptly consider the resignation and recommend to the Board whether to accept the resignation or reject it. The Board will act on the Governance and Nominating Committee's recommendation no later than 90 days thereafter. The Company will promptly publicly disclose the Board's decision whether to accept the resignation and, if applicable, the reasons for rejecting the tendered resignation in a Form 8-K filed with the SEC. If one or more resignations are accepted by the Board, the Governance and Nominating Committee will recommend to the Board whether to fill the vacancy or vacancies or to reduce the size of the Board. The nominees for election as directors were approved by the Board following the recommendation of our Governance and Nominating Committee. Set forth below is certain biographical information regarding each of the nominees and a discussion of the particular experience, qualifications, attributes or skills that led the Governance and Nominating Committee and the Board to conclude that such person should serve as a director at this time. Name, Age, Principal Occupation and Other Information Director Since HOWARD E. COX, JR., age 71 1974 Partner of Greylock and its affiliated venture capital partnerships since 1971. He is also a Director Secretary of Defense Business Board, a member of the Harvard Medical School Board of Fellows and of the Investment Committees of the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Partners Healthcare System, Inc. and the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. Mr. Cox has a broad and deep level of experience as a board member, having served on over 30 boards of directors, including many that were public companies and a number of which were in the healthcare industry. His extensive experience in the venture capital business has given him valuable insight in assessing overall business risks, particularly related to acquisitions. Having served on the Stryker Board for 40 years, he brings a valuable historical context to our Board. SRIKANT M. DATAR, Ph.D., age 61 2009 Arthur Lowes Dickinson Professor at the Graduate School of Business Administration of Harvard University since 1996 and Senior Associate Dean from 2001 to 2010. From 1989 to 1996, he was Edmund W. Littlefield Professor at the Graduate School of Business, Stanford University. He is also a director of Novartis AG, a multinational pharmaceutical and consumer health products company, ICF International, Inc., a management, technology and policy consulting firm, and T-Mobile US, Inc., a provider of wireless voice, messaging and data services. Dr. Datar has an extensive background in accounting and finance and a variety of other business areas, including organization design and performance measurement. His strong accounting and finance background and his experience as chair of the Audit Committee at Novartis AG and T-Mobile US, Inc. allow him to make significant contributions on our Audit Committee. His service on the boards of global companies involved in pharmaceuticals and high tech gives him great insights on assessing Stryker's technology and strategies to expand our business globally. ROCH DOLIVEUX, DVM, age 58 2010 Former Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Executive Committee of UCB S.A., a global biopharmaceutical company, from 2005 through 2014. Prior thereto, he was Chief Executive Officer of Pierre Fabre Pharmaceuticals and President of Schering-Plough International, a subsidiary of Schering-Plough Corporation. Dr. Doliveux has extensive experience in life science and healthcare companies, including product management, global marketing, research and development, and strategic and organizational change management. His exposure to business in many geographies and cultures is very valuable as Stryker seeks to expand its global presence.