We are a vibrant science and technology company. Science is at the heart of everything we do. It drives the discoveries we make and the technologies we create. We make a positive difference in the lives of millions of people every day.
The digital platform and the products and services in our Life Science business sector make precision research simpler and help speed up scientific breakthroughs. They enable quicker access to healthcare and ensure that analyses are accurate and medications are trustworthy. In the Healthcare business sector, we accompany people in every phase of their life and help them to shape, improve, and prolong it. We enable personalized treatments for serious illnesses and help many couples to realize their wish to have children. In our Electronics business sector, we are the company behind the companies, advancing digital living and changing the way we process information and make it available. Our innovations release the potential of data and open up possibilities for positively influencing the way we live.
Everything we do is fueled by a belief in science and technology as a force for good. It is a belief that has driven our work since 1668, and will continue to inspire us to find more joyful and sustainable ways to live, because we are curious minds dedicated to human progress.
Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, holds the global rights to the company name and brand. The only exceptions are Canada and the United States. In these countries, we operate as EMD Serono in the healthcare business, as MilliporeSigma in the life science business, and as EMD Electronics in the electronics business.
Apart from our three business sectors, our financial reporting presents five regions: Europe, North America, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa. As of December 31, 2021, we had 60,348 employees worldwide1. The figure as of December 31, 2020 was 58,127 employees.
Important developments at Group level
Peter Guenter was appointed to our Executive Board effective January 1, 2021. He is responsible for the Healthcare business sector.
The Performance Materials business sector was renamed Electronics effective March 4, 2021. The new name is the visible result of the strategic realignment conducted over the past several years and underscores the current role of the business sector as one of the leading solutions providers on the electronics market.
Matthias Heinzel was appointed to our Executive Board effective April 1, 2021. He is responsible for the Life Science business sector.
Belén Garijo took over from Stefan Oschmann as Chair of the Executive Board effective May 1, 2021.
1 The Group also has employees at sites that are not fully consolidated subsidiaries. These figures refer to all people directly employed by the Group and therefore may deviate from figures in the financial section of this report.