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unique regulatory requirements of each of the countries in Europe and other countries in which we market our products. Initiatives sponsored by government agencies, legislative bodies and the private sector to limit the growth of healthcare expenses generally and hospital costs in particular, including price regulation and competitive pricing, are ongoing in markets where we do business. It is not possible to predict at this time the long-term impact of such cost containment measures on our future business. In addition, business practices in the healthcare industry are scrutinized, particularly in the United States, by federal and state government agencies, and resulting investigations and prosecutions carry the risk of significant civil and criminal penalties. Employees On December 31, 2015 we had approximately 27,000 employees globally. Certain international employees are covered by collective bargaining agreements. We believe that we maintain positive relationships with our employees globally. Executive Officers on January 31, 2016 Name Age First Became an Executive Officer Kevin A. Lobo 50 Chairman and Chief Executive Officer 2011 Yin C. Becker 52 Vice President of Communication and Public Affairs 2016 William E. Berry Jr. 50 Vice President, Corporate Controller and Principal Accounting Officer 2014 Lonny J. Carpenter 54 Group President, Global Quality and Business Operations 2008 M. Kathryn Fink 46 Vice President, Global Human Resources 2016 David K. Floyd 55 Group President, Orthopaedics 2012 Michael D. Hutchinson 45 General Counsel 2014 William R. Jellison 58 Vice President and Chief Financial Officer 2013 Katherine A. Owen 45 Vice President, Strategy and Investor Relations 2007 Bijoy S.N. Sagar 47 Vice President, Chief Information Officer 2014 Timothy J. Scannell 51 Group President, MedSurg and Neurotechnology 2008 Each of our executive officers was elected by our Board of Directors to serve in the office indicated until the first meeting of the Board of Directors following the annual meeting of shareholders in 2016 or until a successor is chosen and qualified or until his or her resignation or removal. Each of our executive officers has held the position above or has served Stryker in various executive or administrative capacities for at least five years, except for Mr. Lobo, Mr. Berry, Mr. Floyd, Ms. Fink, Mr. Jellison and Mr. Sagar. Prior to joining Stryker in April 2011, Mr. Lobo held a variety of senior level leadership roles for the previous nine years at Johnson & Johnson, most recently as Worldwide President of Ethicon Endo-Surgery. Prior to joining Stryker in August 2011, Mr. Berry served for two years as Assistant Corporate Controller for Whirlpool Corporation, the world's leading manufacturer and marketer of major home appliances, and before that held a variety of senior finance roles at Delphi Automotive and Federal Mogul Corporation, both global automotive parts manufacturers. Mr. Floyd was the Chief Executive Officer for OrthoWorx and held a variety of senior level leadership roles with DePuy Synthes, Abbott Spine, AxioMed Spine, and Centerpulse Orthopaedics. Prior to joining Stryker in October 2013, Ms. Fink held a variety of senior level human resources roles for the previous six years at Johnson & Johnson, most recently as the Worldwide Vice President, Human Resources of Ethicon. While at Stryker, Ms. Fink held two different senior level Human Resource roles. Prior to joining Stryker in April 2013, Mr. Jellison was Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Dentsply International, the world's largest manufacturer of professional dental products, and before that held a variety of senior level leadership roles over a 15-year period at Dentsply. Prior to joining Stryker in May 2014, Mr. Sagar served as the Chief Information officer for Merck Millipore, and before that as Global Head of Information Systems and a member of the divisional board for the chemicals division of Merck KGaA. Prior to joining Stryker in November 2012, On December 31, 2015 Ramesh Subrahmanian stepped down from his role as International Group President. On January 26, 2016 we announced that Mr. Jellison has elected to retire from his role as Vice President, Chief Financial Officer effective April 1, 2016. Glenn S. Boehnlein, who has served as Group Vice President, Chief Financial Officer for MedSurg & Neurotechnology since 2011, has been promoted to Vice President, Chief Financial Officer effective April 1, 2016. Before his role as Group Vice President, Chief Financial Officer for MedSurg & Neurotechnology, Mr. Boehnlein held a variety of senior finance roles in the MedSurg & Neurotechnology group. Available Information Our main corporate website address is www.stryker.com. Copies of our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Annual Reports on Form 10-K and Current Reports on Form 8-K filed or furnished to the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) will be provided without charge to any shareholder submitting a written request to our Corporate Secretary at our principal executive offices. All of our SEC filings are also available free of charge on our website within the "For Investors - SEC Filings & Ownership Reports" link as soon as reasonably practicable after having been electronically filed or furnished to the SEC. All SEC filings are also available at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS. This report contains statements referring to us that are not historical facts and are considered "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements, which are intended to take advantage of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Reform Act, are based on current projections about operations, industry conditions, financial condition and liquidity. Words that identify forward-looking statements include words such as "may," "could," "will," "should," "possible," "plan," "predict," "forecast," "potential," "anticipate," "estimate," "expect," "project," "intend," "believe," "may impact," "on track," and words and terms of similar substance used in connection with any discussion of future operating or financial performance, an acquisition or our businesses. In addition, any statements that refer to expectations, projections or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions, are forward-looking statements. Those statements are not guarantees and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual results could differ materially and adversely from these forward-looking statements. Some important factors that could cause our actual results to differ from our expectations in any forward-looking statements include the risks discussed below. Our operations and financial results are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could adversely affect our business, cash flows, financial condition and results of operations. Additional risks and STRYKER CORPORATION 2015 Form 10-K 3 Dollar amounts in millions except per share amounts or as otherwise specified.