They, with Vice Chairmen of the Board James T. Lenehan and WIlliam C. Weldon, comprise the Office of the Chairman. Board of Directors consists of 15 members, including three women and one person of color. A 13-person Executive Committee is the principal management group responsible for the operations of the Company. Managed by franchise, or groups of product categories, such as skin and hair care, endosurgery and wound care. Operating management of each company is headed by a Chairmen, President, General Manager or Managing Director who reports directly or through a line executive to a Group Operating Company.
International companies run primarily by natives of the country in which they are located.
Growth and Acquisitions Ethicon, manufacturer of surgical sutures and related ethical surgical products, formed as a separate division in 1941, and became a company in 1949. McNeil Laboratories, Inc., a producer of prescription pharmaceuticals, was acquired in 1959. In 1993, Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical was formed, retaining the business units McNeil Pharmaceutical and Ortho Pharmaceutical. Janssen Pharmaceutica of Belgium was acquired in 1961. Ortho Biotech, the first biotechnology company developed and operated as a subsidiary of a major health care manufacturer, was formed in 1990.