Sixteen years ago, Greg Taylor answered the call to be a Trauma sales representative. More recently, he answered another call—becoming the east coast chapter President of Stryker’s African Ancestry Network. “I wanted to be in a position to make an impact and difference, where I could help make decisions for the greater good of our diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) initiatives,” he says.

Stryker's African Ancestry Network (SAAN) is an employee resource group, formed by Stryker employees who aspire to drive DE&I, making Stryker a desired career destination for talented Black employees. SAAN continues to develop a network of employees who embrace a culture of inclusion. “We look at this in two buckets,” Greg says, “One is engaging current Black employees and making sure they know they have a voice. The second is engaging the community—creating platforms, events and opportunities for those outside Stryker to come inside and learn more.”

Representation in the workplace matters, and it’s critical when it comes to achieving one of Stryker’s key DE&I commitments: maximizing the power of inclusion to drive innovation and growth. “I feel like including everybody is the only way to be successful, otherwise, you might be missing a critical perspective,” Greg says. “That’s the greatest thing about healthcare,” he adds. “If you put people together in a room, you can begin to solve some really difficult healthcare problems that take into consideration the unique needs of patients.”