Dear Fellow Stockholders,

It was an exciting and busy 2015 for all of us at IDEXX. During the year, we stayed true to our core values and extended our track record of organic growth and sound financial performance through disciplined product innovation and strategic geographic expansion.

Throughout the year, we continued to execute our strategy and create value for our stockholders by:

Last year, we worked toward promoting and sustaining long-term growth in the pet healthcare market and in the other markets we serve through intelligent, disciplined innovation. We also significantly strengthened our commercial presence, both in the U.S. and abroad.

Increasing our Enduring, Profitable Recurring Revenue Streams

Because many of the products and services in our Companion Animal Group (or CAG) business (which represented 85% of our total 2015 revenue), including instrument consumables, test kits and reference lab services, generate revenue each time they are used, they represent recurring revenue streams. Recurring diagnostic revenue (which represented 72% of our total 2015 revenue) is profitable, scalable, and reduces the risk of stagnant or declining revenues. Given these growing revenue streams, an expanding pet healthcare market and broader adoption of our products and services, we have the opportunity to continue to deliver strong value for stockholders as we grow and scale the business.

We believe that developing and maintaining strong relationships with our veterinarian customers drives broader adoption of our products and services and maintains a high level of customer loyalty. To foster strong, personal relationships with the veterinarians we serve, we transitioned to an all-direct sales strategy in the U.S. on January 1, 2015, and have launched similar all-direct strategies in various international markets in the past few years. We believe that these transitions have positioned us well for sustained growth of our CAG revenues in both the near- and long-term.

While we faced some industry headwinds in early 2015 during the transition to our all-direct domestic strategy, we successfully implemented our new sales strategy, which is already generating strong results. In 2015, we placed 4,944 Catalyst^® analyzers globally, an increase of 59% year over year and more than double the number of placements two years ago. In addition, the all-direct domestic strategy, and the resulting increase in our commercial presence with veterinarians, helped drive a successful launch of the IDEXX SDMA test, resulting in 1.6 million tests run in the U.S. in 2015.

We also continued to expand our global footprint to capitalize on the opportunity to enhance pet healthcare worldwide. While there are a growing number of pets outside the U.S., international companion animal diagnostics markets are typically much smaller in proportion to their respective number of pets than the U.S. market. As a result, we believe that investing in our international businesses to support the expansion of those markets will be an important driver of long-term value creation for IDEXX stockholders.

Growing and Creating New Product Markets through Investing in Innovation

We believe that intelligent, disciplined innovation, fostered by a culture that supports and rewards an entrepreneurial spirit, is fundamental to our success. Through our close connections to our veterinarian customers, and our significant, industry-leading, annual investments in research and development (R&D), we are able to offer innovative solutions that enable veterinary care providers to practice advanced medical care, demonstrate the value of diagnostics to pet owners and better manage their veterinary practices.

This significant investment in research and development led to the introduction of several innovative CAG products that we hope will continue to grow our profitable recurring diagnostic revenues for many years:

detect kidney disease much earlier, veterinarians have more options to treat and manage the illness. We believe the IDEXX SDMA test highly differentiates IDEXX’s diagnostic offering, and will generate above-market growth for our CAG Diagnostics recurring revenues for many years to come.

In addition, our focus on innovation has allowed us to respond quickly when immediate needs arise in the veterinarian community. For example, in response to the H3N2 virus outbreak in dogs in Chicago early in 2015, our scientists rapidly developed a test for the virus, which we added to our relevant canine respiratory disease panel at no additional charge. This allowed for rapid, reliable and specific testing for a disease which can present in a variety of ways, helping veterinarians contain the highly contagious virus.

Each of these innovations, along with our many other 2015 advancements in diagnostics and veterinary software applications, elevates our integrated portfolio and differentiates our products and services from those of our competitors.

Expanding our Profits and Cash Flow, Supported by Disciplined Capital Allocation

Our continued focus on investing to grow our attractive, core businesses has enabled us to consistently drive high growth in earnings per share and strong free cash flow. Despite facing challenging headwinds from the strengthening of the U.S. dollar, we increased diluted earnings per share by approximately 14.5% in 2015.¹ Solid profit growth, cash flow generation and optimization of our capital structure supported an allocation of $400 million to share repurchases. Over the last three years, we have advanced investment in our high-return core businesses, while at the same time returning approximately $1.4 billion to stockholders through our share repurchase program, supporting a 16% compounded annual increase in our stock price despite the significant strengthening of the U.S. dollar in 2015.²

A full review of our 2015 financial performance can be found in the financial statements contained in our 2015 Annual Report on

Form 10-K, which is accessible on our company’s website (www.idexx.com) and has been filed with the SEC.

Governance and Executive Compensation Practices

We believe our strong governance and executive compensation practices support long-term stockholder value. A more comprehensive discussion of our governance and executive compensation practices can be found beginning on pages 21 and 42, respectively.

Looking Ahead

2015 was a significant year of accomplishment for IDEXX, which should position us for sustained revenue growth and continued profitability in the years to come. We launched several key innovations and significantly advanced our sales model and commercial presence in the U.S. and in international markets. We enter 2016 extraordinarily well-positioned to continue our innovative approach to the veterinary diagnostic market.

All of us at IDEXX remain committed to our Purpose: To be a great company that creates exceptional long term value for our customers, employees and shareholders by enhancing the health and well-being of pets, people and livestock.

Sincerely,

Table of Contents

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BASIS OF PRESENTATION

IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. is a Delaware corporation incorporated in 1983 with principal executive offices located at One IDEXX Drive, Westbrook, Maine 04092. Unless the context indicates otherwise, references in this Proxy Statement to “we”, “us”, “our”, the “Company” or “IDEXX” refer to IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries. Our website is located at

www.idexx.com. References to our website in this Proxy Statement are inactive textual references only and the contents of our website are not incorporated by reference into this Proxy Statement for any purpose.

Proxy Summary

This summary highlights selected information that is contained elsewhere in this Proxy Statement. This summary does not contain all of the information that you should consider prior to voting your shares. You should carefully read both the entire Proxy Statement and our 2015 Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on February 17, 2016 before voting.

2016 Annual Meeting Information

Date and Time: Wednesday, May 4, 2016, 10:00 a.m., Eastern time

Location: Portland Marriott Hotel, 200 Sable Oaks Drive, South Portland, Maine 04106

Webcast: Available on our website www.idexx.com.

Stockholder Voting Matters Summary

How to Vote

It is important that your shares be represented and voted at the 2016 Annual Meeting. You cannot vote your shares via the webcast described above, and even if you plan to attend the 2016 Annual Meeting in person, please vote early. You can submit a proxy by telephone or Internet. Alternatively, you may request a paper proxy card by calling the appropriate number set forth below, which you may complete, sign and return by mail.

If you plan to attend the 2016 Annual Meeting in person, you must bring photo identification to be admitted. If you are a beneficial owner, you also must bring a letter from your nominee confirming your beneficial ownership of your shares and, if you intend to

vote the shares, a proxy permitting you to vote them. To request a proxy, follow the instructions at www.proxyvote.com.

Notable Corporate Governance Highlights

We believe that a commitment to high ethical standards and good governance practices contributes to increasing stockholder value by:

Our engaged, diverse and independent Board has implemented and maintained strong corporate governance policies, including prohibitions on pledging, hedging and short sales and in 2015 adopted a majority-voting standard in uncontested elections. We believe that our strong corporate governance policies and practices are an important component of our continued success in driving stockholder value.

For more information about our corporate governance policies and practices, please see the Corporate Governance section of this Proxy Statement beginning on page 14.

2015 Financial Performance Highlights

The following is an overview of our 2015 financial performance highlights and our Total Stockholder Return since 2010. For more complete information, please review our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015 filed with the SEC on February 17, 2016. The Total Stockholder Return graph compares our total stockholder returns, the Standard & Poor’s (“S&P”) MidCap 400 Index, the S&P MidCap 400 Health Care Index and the Total Return Index for the NASDAQ Stock Market (U.S. Companies) prepared by the Center for Research in Security Prices (the “NASDAQ Index”). This graph assumes the investment of $100 on December 31, 2010 in IDEXX’s common stock, the S&P MidCap 400 Index, the S&P MidCap 400 Health Care Index and the NASDAQ Index and assumes dividends, if any, are reinvested.

Executive Compensation Highlights

These executive compensation highlights should be read in connection with the Executive Compensation section of this Proxy Statement, including the Compensation Discussion and Analysis section, for additional information about our executive compensation philosophy and program and the compensation awarded to each of our named executive officers, beginning on page 42.

Our Executive Compensation Philosophy and Program

Our executive compensation philosophy is simple – we want to attract, motivate and retain talented executives who are aligned with and passionate about our purpose: to be a great company that creates exceptional long-term value for our customers, employees and stockholders by enhancing the health and well-being of pets, people and livestock.

We believe that executing this philosophy through our executive compensation program and practices, including a strong focus on pay-for-performance based compensation elements, will support long-term stockholder value creation through driving our strategy of innovation, continued revenue growth, margin improvement and efficient capital allocation.

Key Elements of Our Executive Compensation Program

Our executive compensation program consists of three key elements, which in total are targeted at the median of our competitive market. Because it relates most directly to the creation of stockholder value over time, variable compensation is a higher percentage of total compensation for our named executive officers than for our other employees.

Executive Compensation Mix

The total 2015 direct compensation mix for our Chief Executive Officer and our other named executive officers is:

Performance-Based Cash Bonus

The target amount of the performance-based cash bonus award for each named executive officer is a percentage of his or her annual base salary, and the award amount is capped at 200% of this target.

Performance-based cash bonuses are calculated based on the achievement of both financial and non-financial performance goals.

In 2015, the overall performance-based award factor was calculated as 95% based on achievement of the financial and non-financial performance metrics. Accordingly, performance-based cash bonus payment to the named executive officers equaled 95% of their target bonus amounts.

Our equity-based long-term incentives consist of stock options and restricted stock units. These equity incentives have a five-year vesting schedule, which is longer than typical market practice, and are more heavily weighted in the form of stock options for our senior executives. We believe that these types of equity incentives drive closer alignment with our stockholders’ long-term interests.

Starting in 2016, we are adding performance-based restricted stock units to our long-term equity incentive program. These performance-based restricted stock units are intended to be eligible to qualify as performance-based compensation under Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code. The vesting of all restricted stock units granted to our named executive officers in February 2016 is subject to the achievement of a 2016 financial performance target. If this target is not met in 2016, then these awards will be forfeited.

CEO Compensation and Equity Ownership

¹ Includes 906,902 shares of common stock that may be acquired within 60 days after March 1, 2016 upon the exercise of stock options.

² Based on the closing price of $75.48 per share of our common stock on March 1, 2016.

Executive Compensation Program at a Glance

In addition to the key elements described above, our executive compensation program includes the following objectives, practices and policies:

One IDEXX Drive
Westbrook, Maine 04092

Notice of 2016 Annual Meeting of Stockholders

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the 2016 annual meeting of stockholders (“2016 Annual Meeting”) of IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. will be held:

DATE AND TIME

Wednesday, May 4, 2016, 10:00 a.m., Eastern time

LOCATION

Portland Marriott Hotel
200 Sable Oaks Drive
South Portland, Maine 04106

PURPOSE OF 2016 ANNUAL MEETING

RECORD DATE

The Company’s Board of Directors has fixed the close of business on March 8, 2016 as the record date for the determination of stockholders entitled to notice of and to vote at the 2016 Annual Meeting.

By order of the Board of Directors,

Jacqueline L. Studer

Corporate Vice President,
General Counsel and Corporate Secretary
Westbrook, Maine
March 24, 2016

Corporate Governance

Proposal One – Election of Directors

Our Board of Directors is divided into three classes, and members of each class hold office for three-year terms:

Upon recommendation of the Nominating and Governance Committee, the Board has nominated Mr. Jonathan W. Ayers, Dr. Barry C. Johnson and Ms. M. Anne Szostak – our current Class III Directors – to be Class III Directors, and stockholders are being asked to elect them for three-year terms expiring at the 2019 Annual Meeting.

This section includes additional information about the Director nomination process, including requisite criteria, experiences, qualification and skills, as well as the Class III Director nominees and the Board.

Director Nomination Process

The Nominating and Governance Committee identifies, evaluates, recruits and makes recommendations to the Board regarding candidates to fill vacancies on the Board using the criteria described below. The process followed by the Nominating and Governance Committee includes:

In addition, the Nominating and Governance Committee, in some instances, will engage an executive search firm to assist in recruiting candidates. In such cases, the search firm assists the Nominating and Governance Committee in:

Criteria and Experiences, Qualifications and Skills

To be considered for nomination to the Board a candidate must meet the following minimum criteria:

The Nominating and Governance Committee and the Board are also focused on ensuring that a wide range of backgrounds and experiences are represented on our Board and consider the value of diversity of all types in the Director nomination process. For more information, please see the discussion under “Diversity” on page 25.

In addition, in evaluating potential candidates, the Nominating and Governance Committee considers other applicable requirements under the Corporate Governance Guidelines, including the Director independence requirements described under “Director Independence” beginning on page 22 and the maximum number of directorships generally permitted for our Directors. The Corporate Governance Guidelines provide that, unless an exception has been granted by the Board:

Stockholder Recommendation and Nomination of Directors

Stockholders who want to recommend a nominee for Director should submit the name of the nominee to our Corporate Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at our principal executive offices, together with biographical information and background material sufficient for the Nominating and Governance Committee to evaluate the recommended candidate based on its selection criteria, and a statement as to whether the stockholder or group of stockholders making the recommendation has beneficially owned more than 5% of our common stock for at least a year as of the date the recommendation is made.

Assuming that appropriate biographical and background material has been provided on a timely basis, the Nominating and Governance Committee will apply the same criteria, and follow substantially the same process, in considering each qualifying stockholder recommendation as it does in considering other candidates. Stockholders also have the right under our Amended and Restated By-Laws to nominate Director candidates directly, without any action or recommendation on the part of the Nominating and Governance Committee or the Board, by following the procedures described under “Requirements for Submission of Proxy Proposals, Nomination of Directors and Other Business of Stockholders” beginning on page 70.

If the Board determines to nominate a stockholder-recommended candidate and recommends his or her election, then his or her name will be included on the proxy card for our next Annual Meeting. Candidates nominated by stockholders in accordance with the procedures set forth in our Amended and Restated By-Laws will not be included on our proxy card for the next Annual Meeting, but may be included on proxies the nominating stockholders seek independently.

Majority Voting and Director Resignation

Our Amended and Restated By-Laws provide that, in an election of Directors where the number of nominees does not exceed the number of Directors to be elected, a nominee who does not receive a majority of votes cast with respect to his or her election will not be elected.

Pursuant to our Director Resignation Policy included in our Corporate Governance Guidelines, a Director who is not re-elected is required to promptly tender his or her resignation, and the Nominating and Governance Committee would make a recommendation to the Board as to whether to accept the resignation. Following the Nominating and Governance Committee’s recommendation, the Board would determine whether or not to accept that Director’s resignation, considering any factors it deems relevant. Under this policy, the Board is required to act on the recommendation of the Nominating and Governance Committee within 90 days of the certification of the stockholder vote.

Director Nominees and Board Biographies

Upon recommendation of the Nominating and Governance Committee, the Board has nominated Mr. Jonathan W. Ayers, Dr. Barry C. Johnson and Ms. M. Anne Szostak – our current Class III Directors – to be Class III Directors, and stockholders are being asked to elect them for three-year terms expiring at the 2019 Annual Meeting. Each of the nominees, other than Mr. Ayers, who is our Chief Executive Officer, meets NASDAQ independence requirements.

Each of Mr. Ayers, Dr. Johnson and Ms. Szostak has indicated a willingness to serve, if elected. If any of the Director nominees becomes unable to serve, proxies can be voted for a substitute nominee, or the Board may choose to reduce the number of Directors on the Board. Dr. Johnson will reach the age of 73 in 2016, and under our Corporate Governance Guidelines, when a Director reaches the age of 73, he or she is expected to retire at the next Annual Meeting. Accordingly, if our stockholders elect Dr. Johnson as a Class III Director at the 2016 Annual Meeting, he is expected to retire at the conclusion of the 2017 Annual Meeting.

In February 2016, the Nominating and Governance Committee reviewed the experience, qualifications, attributes and skills of each of the current Directors and the Class III Director nominees and concluded that each Class III Director nominee has the requisite background, qualifications and personal characteristics to serve as a Director in light of the Company’s business and structure.

In support of this conclusion, the Nominating and Governance Committee believes that:

There are no family relationships among the executive officers or Directors of IDEXX.

Class III Director Nominees Whose Terms Would Expire in 2019

Class II Directors Whose Terms Expire in 2017

Class I Directors Whose Terms Expire in 2018

Board Composition and Skills

Our Corporate Governance Framework

We are proud of our commitment to sound corporate governance and high ethical standards, and we believe that this commitment has contributed to our success in building long-term value for our stockholders.

Our corporate governance framework includes our corporate governance policies and practices and provides the structure that enables our Board to provide effective oversight and counsel for IDEXX.

Corporate Governance at a Glance

Board of Directors

Our Board currently has nine members. The Board meets throughout the year on a set schedule, and also holds special meetings and acts by written consent from time to time as appropriate. The Board has delegated various responsibilities and authority to its four standing Committees: the Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee, the Nominating and Governance Committee and the Finance Committee. For more information regarding the Board Committees, see the discussion under “Board Committees” beginning on page 26.

The Board is responsible for monitoring the overall performance of IDEXX. Among other things, the Board, directly and through its Committees:

In accordance with general corporate legal principles applicable to corporations organized under the laws of Delaware, the Board does not manage the day-to-day operations of IDEXX.

Board Meetings and Attendance

Directors are responsible for attending Board and Committee meetings and for devoting the time needed to discharge their responsibilities properly. The Board held six meetings in 2015, and the Committees held a total of 22 meetings in 2015.

Each of our Directors attended at least seventy-five percent of the meetings of the Board and Committees on which he or she served in 2015. It is our policy to schedule Board and Committee meetings to coincide with the Annual Meeting, and Directors are expected to attend the 2016 Annual Meeting. Last year, all of the individuals then serving as Directors attended our 2015 Annual Meeting.

Director Independence

Under our Corporate Governance Guidelines, a majority of our Directors must be “independent” as defined by the rules of the NASDAQ Stock Market (“NASDAQ”). Each Committee’s charter requires its members to be independent as defined by NASDAQ rules.

The Board, in consultation with the Nominating and Governance Committee, determines the independence of each Director. In February 2016, the Board determined that:

In determining Dr. Vandebroek’s independence, the Nominating and Governance Committee considered Dr. Vandebroek’s position as an executive officer of Xerox Corporation (“Xerox”), a provider of office technology equipment and other related services for the Company. The Nominating and Governance Committee considered several factors including, among other things:

Based on the factors considered by the Nominating and Governance Committee, it concluded that these transactions would not affect Dr. Vandebroek’s independence.

Related Person Transactions

Our Board has adopted a written Related Person Transaction Policy under which the Audit Committee is required to review and approve any transaction involving more than $120,000 in which the Company is a participant and in which any related person has or will have a direct or indirect material interest. The Audit Committee may approve any such transaction only if it determines that, under all of the circumstances, the transaction is not inconsistent with the best interests of the Company.

A related person under this policy is:

The policy provides that a “direct or indirect material interest” does not arise solely from the related person’s position as an executive officer of another entity involved in a transaction with the Company, where:

Since January 1, 2015, there have been no related person transactions requiring review and approval by the Audit Committee under the Related Person Transaction Policy.

Board Leadership Structure

The Board is led by Mr. Ayers, who serves as the Chairman of the Board, and by Mr. End, an independent Director, who serves as the Lead Director. Mr. Ayers has been the Chairman of the Board since joining the Company as Chief Executive Officer in 2002. Under our Corporate Governance Guidelines, when the Chairman of the Board is not an independent Director, the independent Directors annually elect a Lead Director from among the independent Directors.

The Chairman of the Board has no greater nor lesser vote on matters considered by the Board than any other Director. All Directors, including the Chairman, are bound by fiduciary obligations imposed by law. As discussed above under “Director Independence,” each Director other than Mr. Ayers is an independent director under NASDAQ rules, and every member of each standing Committee is also independent under those rules.

The Board is free to select the Chairman of the Board and the Chief Executive Officer in any way it deems best for our stockholders at any point in time, and the Board does not have a predetermined policy as to whether or not the roles of Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer should be combined or separate. Pursuant to our Corporate Governance Guidelines, the Nominating and Governance Committee annually assesses the Board’s leadership structure, including

whether the offices of Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer should be combined or separate and why the Board’s leadership structure is appropriate given the specific characteristics or circumstances of the Company.

In February 2016, the Nominating and Governance Committee assessed the Board’s leadership structure and determined that a combined full-time Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, subject to oversight by the Company’s independent Directors, including an independent Lead Director, is appropriate for the following reasons:

the Board believes that the Chief Executive Officer is best positioned to develop the agenda for the Board supported by regular consultation and input from the Lead Director, and to lead discussions at Board meetings regarding the Company’s strategy, operations and results;

Lead Director

The position of Lead Director has significant authority and responsibilities under the Corporate Governance Guidelines, including:

Annual Board Self-Assessment

The Nominating and Governance Committee is responsible for evaluating the performance of the Board, its Committees and each of the Directors. The purpose of this evaluation is to identify ways to enhance the effectiveness of the Board, its Committees and the Directors.

The evaluation process includes completion of questionnaires and interviews with each Director to solicit candid feedback and gather additional suggestions for improvement. The responses and comments of the Directors are then compiled and presented by the Lead Director to the Nominating and Governance Committee and the Board for discussion and action.

Talent Management and Succession Planning

Succession planning and talent development are an integral part of our long-term strategy for sustained stockholder value creation. The Nominating and Governance Committee is responsible for annually reviewing succession plans for the Chief Executive Officer. In addition, the Board is responsible for ensuring the existence of appropriate succession plans for all our executive officers.

The Chief Executive Officer is responsible for preparing an annual report to the Board regarding succession planning for himself, and as part of this annual report, our Chief Executive Officer provides his evaluations and recommendation of potential future candidates for the position of Chief Executive Officer, including possible timing. In addition, the Board, both directly and through the Compensation Committee, also

reviews plans for identifying and developing potential future candidates for other senior leadership roles, and the Board members interact with many of these candidates in formal and informal settings during the year.

Board’s Role in Risk Oversight

Management is responsible for risk management on a day-to-day basis. The Board oversees the risk management activities of management directly and through its Committees by discussing with management the policies and practices they utilize in assessing and managing risks and providing input on those policies and practices.

In general, the Board oversees risk management activities relating to business strategy, acquisitions, capital allocation and structure, legal, compliance and regulatory risk, and operational risks. The Committees oversee certain areas of risk management too, including:

Each Committee reports to the full Board on a regular basis, including with respect to its risk oversight activities as appropriate.

We conduct an annual enterprise risk assessment as part of our annual strategic planning process. The risk assessment process involves an identification and assessment by senior line of business and functional leaders of the particular risks relevant to their lines of business and functional areas, the materiality of those risks and plans to mitigate them to the extent prudent and feasible. The identified risks are ranked based on probability of occurrence and severity of impact. Management shares the result of this annual risk assessment with the full Board in conjunction with the Board’s discussion of the Company’s annual strategic plan. Certain risks and related mitigation plans are also reviewed throughout the year either by the Board or its Committees.

We also conduct a compliance risk assessment, the results of which are shared by management with the Audit Committee. This risk assessment involves an identification and assessment by functional leaders of the particular legal and regulatory compliance risks relevant to their areas of responsibility. The risks are ranked based on materiality and maturity of controls by functional leaders. Plans to mitigate the top risks are also shared and discussed with the full Board at various times of the year as part of normal business discussions.

The Audit Committee reviews linkages between the critical risk findings, management preparedness or plans to address those risks, and internal audit’s tests of those plans. The Audit Committee seeks to ensure that the internal audit department can perform its function by reviewing the charter, plans, activities, staffing and organizational structure of the internal audit department, and approving the appointment, replacement, reassignment or dismissal of the Director of Internal Audit.

The Audit Committee also provides an open channel of communication between internal audit and the Board; meets independently with the Company’s internal auditors, independent auditors and management; and discusses with management the Company’s major policies with respect to risk assessment and risk management, including an annual review of the Company’s insurance coverage.

Board Committees

The Board has established four standing committees - an Audit Committee, a Compensation Committee, a Nominating and Governance Committee and a Finance Committee, each of which is described briefly below. Each Committee acts pursuant to a written charter that is approved by the Board and reviewed annually by the applicable Committee, the Nominating and Governance Committee and the Board. Current copies of each Committee’s charter can be accessed on the Corporate

Governance section of our website www.idexx.com or by contacting our Corporate Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at the Company’s principal executive offices.

Members of the Committees, as of March 1, 2016, are named below:

(1) Lead Director

(2) Audit Committee Financial Expert as defined under SEC rules.

Audit Committee

The Audit Committee Report is included on page 38.

Compensation Committee

The Compensation Committee Report is included on page 53.

Committee Procedures. Compensation Committee meetings are scheduled and agendas determined through consultation among our Chief Executive Officer; our Corporate Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary; our Corporate Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, and the Compensation Committee chair.

In February of each year, the Compensation Committee meets to:

The Compensation Committee meets at other times during the year as needed to review executive compensation and otherwise to perform the duties described in its charter.

Use of Compensation Consultants. The Compensation Committee has the authority to engage advisers to support its work at the Company’s expense, taking into consideration the applicable factors affecting the independence of such advisers that are required by SEC and NASDAQ rules. The Compensation Committee has engaged Frederic W. Cook & Co., Inc. (“FW Cook”) to serve as a consultant, with the following duties generally:

During 2015, the Compensation Committee engaged FW Cook to, among other things:

FW Cook provides no services to us other than those provided to the Compensation Committee. The chair of the Compensation Committee reviews and approves all invoices pertaining to services provided by FW Cook. Members of management work with FW Cook only to the extent necessary to provide FW Cook with information necessary for its consulting work and to prepare materials for Committee and Board review.

In February 2016, the Compensation Committee considered whether its work with FW Cook raised any conflicts of interest in light of the factors regarding a compensation adviser’s independence described in SEC and NASDAQ rules. Based on these factors, the Compensation Committee determined that the work of FW Cook and the individual compensation advisors employed by FW Cook who provided services to the Compensation Committee have not created any conflict of interest.

Analysis of Risk Associated with Compensation Practices. The Compensation Committee engaged FW Cook to conduct an analysis of our compensation practices in order to assist the Compensation Committee in determining whether those practices created risks that were reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on the Company. The results of this analysis were presented by FW Cook to the Compensation Committee in December 2015. Based on this analysis, the Compensation Committee determined that our compensation practices were not reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on the Company.

Role of Company Executives. As provided by the Compensation Committee charter, the Chief Executive Officer is responsible for recommending to the Compensation Committee annual compensation for the rest of the executive officers. The Compensation Committee approves compensation for these executive officers and may make such changes as it deems appropriate. The Compensation Committee charter also provides that the Compensation Committee determines the Chief Executive Officer’s annual compensation and meets without the presence of any executive officers of the Company when approving or deliberating on Chief Executive Officer compensation.

In addition to the Chief Executive Officer, our Corporate Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary and our Corporate Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer also work with the Compensation Committee chair to set agendas, prepare materials for Compensation Committee meetings, and generally attend meetings and prepare meeting minutes. However, members of management, including the Chief Executive Officer, are not present in Compensation Committee meetings when matters related to their individual compensation are under discussion. No other executive officer is involved in supporting Compensation Committee activities or executive compensation recommendations.

Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation. Ms. Szostak (chair), Mr. Craig and Mr. End served on the Compensation Committee during 2015. There were no Compensation Committee interlocks or insider (employee) participation during 2015.

Nominating and Governance Committee

Finance Committee

Corporate Governance Guidelines and Code of Ethics

The Board has adopted Corporate Governance Guidelines and a Code of Ethics, both which can be accessed on the

Corporate Governance section of our website www.idexx.com. Hard copies may be obtained by contacting our Corporate Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at the Company’s principal executive offices.

The Code of Ethics applies to all of our employees, officers and Directors. In addition, we intend to post on our website all disclosures that are required by law or NASDAQ listing standards concerning any amendments to, or waivers from, any provision of the Code of Ethics.

Anti-Hedging and Short Sale and Anti-Pledging Policies

The Board has adopted a Policy on Short Sales, Derivative Transactions and Hedging. This anti-hedging and short sale policy generally prohibits any Director, officer or employee, or any family member or affiliate of any of the foregoing, from engaging in (i) any short sales of the Company’s securities, (ii)purchases or sales of puts, calls or other derivative securities based upon the Company’s securities, or (iii) purchases of financial instruments that are designed to hedge or offset any decrease in the market value of the Company’s securities.

In December 2015, the Board adopted a Policy on Pledging of Company Stock that prohibits our Directors and executive officers from pledging or otherwise encumbering the equity securities they own in our Company as collateral for indebtedness, including holding shares in a margin or similar account that would subject our equity securities to margin calls.

Communications from Stockholders

Written communications to any individual Director, the Lead Director or the full Board may be submitted by electronic mail to contactdirectors@idexx.com or by writing to the Office of the Corporate Secretary at One IDEXX Drive, Westbrook, Maine 04092. The Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee will review all such communications.

Director Compensation

Non-Employee Director Compensation

Our non-employee Directors are annually compensated for their Board service as described in the chart below:

(1) All retainers are paid in quarterly installments, and each non-employee Director may, at his or her option, defer all or any portion of any retainer in the form of fully vested deferred stock units under our Director Deferred Compensation Plan (the“ Director Plan”).

(2) We annually grant deferred stock units and non-qualified stock options to each non-employee Director on the date of the Annual Meeting. A non-employee Director who joins the Board after the date of an Annual Meeting receives a pro rata grant based on the number of months remaining until the next year’s grant.

(3) The number of deferred stock units granted equals the target value, divided by the price of our common stock on the grant date, rounded to the nearest whole share. Any non-employee Director who meets the target ownership under the stock ownership guidelines at the time of the annual grant may elect to receive restricted stock units (“RSUs”), in lieu of deferred stock units. The number of RSUs granted is calculated in the same manner as deferred stock units granted. For more information regarding RSUs, please see the discussion under “Compensation Discussion and Analysis” beginning on page 42.

(4) The value of the granted non-qualified stock options is calculated using the Black-Scholes-Merton option pricing model. This model is consistent with the valuation approach used to value executive awards.

(5) All non-employee Directors complied with the stock ownership guidelines as of December 31, 2015.

Equity Compensation

Deferred stock units and non-qualified stock options are granted to non-employee Directors annually on the date of the Annual Meeting. The most recent grant date was May 6, 2015, and the next grant date is scheduled to be on May 4, 2016, the date of the 2016 Annual Meeting.

In May 2015, the Board, on the recommendation of the Compensation Committee, modified the non-employee Director compensation program to increase the total annual equity award from $150,000 to $175,000, with 25% of the annual equity award in the form of a deferred stock unit grant and 75% in the form of a non-qualified stock option grant.

Deferred Stock Units. Deferred stock units granted on the date of the Annual Meeting are issued under the Director Plan and fully vest on the earlier of one year from the date of grant or the date of the next Annual Meeting. These vested deferred stock units are credited to a hypothetical investment account established in the non-employee Director’s name and will be distributed as an equal number of shares of our common stock one year following the termination of the non-employee Director’s Board service. For more information regarding the deferred stock units and the Director Plan, please see the discussion below under “Director Plan.”

If a non-employee Director is eligible to elect to receive RSUs in lieu of deferred stock units and makes this election, then he or she will receive RSUs that fully vest on the earlier of one year from the date of grant or the date of the next Annual Meeting.

Non-Qualified Stock Options. Non-qualified stock options are granted under our 2009 Stock Incentive Plan (the“2009 Plan”) and have the following terms:

Each non-employee Director may defer all or any portion of any cash compensation in the form of fully vested deferred stock units, which are issued under the Director Plan and are subject to the terms of the 2009 Plan. The payment of cash compensation in the form of deferred stock units is considered deferred compensation for federal income tax purposes.

A hypothetical investment account is established in the name of each non-employee Director, and vested deferred stock units are credited as follows:

Director Plan account balances are not subject to any interest or other investment returns, other than returns produced by fluctuations in the price of a share of common stock affecting the value of the deferred stock units in the account.

Deferred stock units are distributed in the form of an equal number of shares of our common stock as follows:

Unvested deferred stock units will vest immediately under the following circumstances:

shares of common stock in a Director’s account will be distributed in a single lump sum as soon as practicable after a change in control.

All Directors are reimbursed for reasonable travel expenses incurred in connection with Board and committee meetings. We also extend coverage to them under our directors’ and officers’ indemnity insurance policies. We do not provide any other benefits, including retirement benefits or perquisites, to our non-employee Directors.

Our stock ownership guidelines set a target level of ownership of our common stock for each non-employee Director equal to six times the annual retainer, which is $390,000 in stock value, at the end of each calendar year.

Shares that are owned by, or held in trust for the benefit of, a non-employee Director or immediate family members residing in the same household and vested deferred stock units credited to his or her investment account are included in calculating stock ownership.

Until the value of a non-employee Director’s common stock exceeds this target level at the end of a calendar year, he or she must retain:

A non-employee Director complies with these stock ownership guidelines if his or her stock ownership equals or exceeds the target level at the end of the year or if he or she has complied with the applicable retention requirements under the stock ownership guidelines.

2015 Non-Employee Director Compensation Table

The table below shows compensation for each of our non-employee Directors. Mr. Ayers, who is an employee, receives no additional compensation for his Board service. For information regarding Mr. Ayers’s compensation, please see the discussion under “Executive Compensation Tables” beginning on page 54.

(1) Stock awards to non-employee Directors are issued as deferred stock units (“DSUs”) pursuant to the Company’s Director Plan. The amount shown excludes DSUs received in lieu of deferred compensation as described in footnotes 5 and 6 and reflects the aggregate grant date fair value computed in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718 (calculated by rounding $43,750 to the nearest share on the date of deferral). See Note 4 in the notes to the consolidated financial statements included in our 2015 Annual Report on Form 10-K for the relevant assumptions used to determine the valuation of our stock awards. As discussed under “Equity Compensation” above on page 31, non-employee Directors receive only one DSU and option grant during the fiscal year. As of December 31, 2015, the following are the aggregate number of DSUs accumulated in each non-employee Director’s deferral account for all years of service as a Director, including DSUs issued for deferred fees as well as DSUs issued as annual grants to non-employee Directors: Mr. Claflin, 503, Mr. Craig, 36,198; Mr. End, 19,476; Dr. Henderson, 30,986; Dr. Johnson, 19,246; Mr. Junius, 1,561; Ms. Szostak, 2,690 and Dr. Vandebroek, 1,916.

(2) Reflects the aggregate grant date fair value computed in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718. See Note 4 in the notes to consolidated financial statements included in our 2015 Annual Report on Form 10-K for the relevant assumptions used to determine the valuation of our option awards. As of December 31, 2015, each non-employee Director had the following number of stock options outstanding: Mr. Claflin, 5,629; Mr. Craig, 48,570; Mr. End, 46,516; Dr. Henderson, 46,516; Dr. Johnson, 55,570; Mr. Junius, 14,594; Ms. Szostak 28,392 and Dr. Vandebroek, 16,648.

(3) Mr. Claflin was appointed to the Board effective July 14, 2015.

(4) Consists of a prorated equity grant made to Mr. Claflin with respect to the period from his election to the Board on July 14, 2015 to May 4, 2016, the scheduled date of the next annual equity grant to be made to all non-employee Directors, consisting of DSUs having a grant date fair value of $35,482 and nonqualified stock options having a grant date fair value of $106,350.

(5) Includes compensation in the amount of $70,000 deferred and issued as 1,000 DSUs pursuant to the Director Plan.

(6) Includes compensation in the amount of $15,000 deferred and issued as 223 DSUs pursuant to the Director Plan.

Stock Ownership Information

Stock Ownership of Directors and Officers

The table below shows the number of shares of our common stock beneficially owned as of March 1, 2016 by each of our Directors, each of our named executive officers named in the Summary Compensation Table and all of our Directors and executive officers as a group. The table below also includes information about stock options and vesting restricted stock units granted to our Directors and executive officers. Unless otherwise indicated, each person listed below has sole voting and investment power with respect to the shares and other securities listed.

* Less than 1%

We also grant deferred stock units to our non-employee Directors as annual equity grants or voluntary deferrals of annual fees. Deferred stock units are not included in the table above because they do not represent a right to acquire shares of our common stock within 60 days after March 1, 2016. Although deferred stock units carry no voting rights and individuals holding fully vested deferred stock units are at risk as to the price of our common stock in their investment accounts, vested deferred stock units are included for purposes of determining satisfaction of target stock ownership levels under our stock ownership guidelines. Accordingly, the table below shows the total numbers of shares and fully vested deferred stock units owned as of March 1, 2016 by each of our Directors, each of our named executive officers and all our Directors and executive officers as a group.

(1) Consists of options to purchase shares of common stock exercisable, and RSUs vesting, on or within 60 days after March 1, 2016.

(2) The number of shares beneficially owned by each person or group as of March 1, 2016 includes shares of common stock that such person or group had the right to acquire on or within 60 days after March 1, 2016, including but not limited to, upon the exercise of stock options or vesting of RSUs, but excluding DSUs.

(3) For each individual and group included in the table, percentage of ownership is calculated by dividing the number of shares beneficially owned by such person or group as described above by the sum of 89,603,657 shares of common stock outstanding on March 1, 2016 and the number of shares of common stock that such person or group had the right to acquire on or within 60 days after March 1, 2016, including but not limited to, upon the exercise of stock options or vesting of RSUs, but excluding DSUs.

(4) Includes 98,000 shares held by the Ayers Family Trust.

(5) Mr. Claflin was appointed to the Board effective July 14, 2015.

(6) Includes 6,600 shares held by the 2014 Szostak IDEXX GRAT and 8,816 shares held by the M. Anne Szostak Trust.

(7) Consists of DSUs that are vested as of March 1, 2016.

(8) Ms. Studer was appointed Corporate Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary effective September 1, 2014.

Director and Officer Stock Ownership Guidelines

We maintain stock ownership guidelines for our Directors and executives, including our executive officers. For more information regarding our Director stock ownership guidelines, please see the discussion under “Director Stock Ownership Guidelines” on page 32, and for more information regarding our executive stock ownership guidelines, please see the discussion under “Compensation Policies and Practices” beginning on page 46.

Stock Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners

Based solely on our review of filings made under Sections 13(d) and 13(g) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the only persons or entities known to us to beneficially own more than 5% of our common stock as of December 31, 2015 were:

(1) For each group included in the table, percentage ownership is calculated by dividing the number of shares beneficially owned by such group on December 31, 2015, as reflected in the most recent filing by such group of statements of beneficial ownership with the SEC, by the 89,603,657 shares of common stock outstanding on March 1, 2016. Therefore, the percentage ownership may differ from the percentage ownership reported in such statements of beneficial ownership, which reflect ownership as of an earlier date.

(2) Based solely upon information derived from a Schedule 13G/A filed by T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. (“T. Rowe Price”) with the SEC on February 11, 2016, it has the sole power to vote 2,139,941 shares and sole power to dispose of 8,226,897 shares. These shares are owned by various individual and institutional investors for which T. Rowe Price serves as investment adviser with power to direct investments and/or sole power to vote the shares. For purposes of reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, T. Rowe Price is deemed to be a beneficial owner of such securities; however T. Rowe Price expressly denies that it is, in fact, the beneficial owner of such securities.

(3) Based solely upon information derived from a Schedule 13G/A filed by Ruane, Cunniff & Goldfarb Inc. with the SEC on February 16, 2016, it has sole voting power and sole dispositive power of 8,027,368 shares.

(4) Based solely upon information derived from a Schedule 13G/A filed with the SEC on February 16, 2016 by Baron Capital Group, Inc., BAMCO, Inc., a subsidiary of Baron Capital Group, Inc., Baron Capital Management, Inc., a subsidiary of Baron Capital Group, Inc., and Ronald Baron, who owns a controlling interest in Baron Capital Group, Inc., (i) Baron Capital Group, Inc. reported that it has shared voting power of 6,547,069 shares and shared dispositive power of 6,891,469 shares; (ii) BAMCO, Inc. reported that it had shared voting power of 6,123,319 shares and shared dispositive power of 6,467,619 shares; (iii) Baron Capital Management, Inc. reported that it has shared voting power and shared dispositive power of 423,850 shares; and (iv) Mr. Baron reported that he has shared voting power of 6,547,069 shares and shared dispositive power of 6,891,469 shares.

(5) Based solely upon information derived from a Schedule 13G/A filed by BlackRock, Inc. with the SEC on January 22, 2016, it has sole power to vote 6,238,494 shares and sole power to dispose of 6,560,868 shares.

(6) Based solely upon information derived from a Schedule 13G/A filed by The Vanguard Group with the SEC on February 11, 2016, it has the sole power to vote 67,542 shares, sole power to dispose of 6,264,414 shares and shared power to dispose of 67,142 shares.

Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance 

Under Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, our Directors, executive officers and any person holding more than 10% of our outstanding common stock are required to report their initial ownership of Common Stock and any subsequent changes in their ownership to the SEC. We are not aware of any person holding more than 10% of our outstanding common stock.

Based solely on our review of copies of Section 16(a) reporting forms that we received from reporting persons for transactions occurring during our 2015 fiscal year and written representations from our Directors and executive officers, we believe that no reporting person failed to timely file any report required by Section 16(a) during the 2015 fiscal year.

Audit Committee Matters

Proposal Two - Ratification of Appointment of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

The Audit Committee is directly responsible for the appointment, compensation, retention and oversight of the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm. The Audit Committee has appointed PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (“PwC”) to serve as our independent registered public accounting firm for 2016, subject to ratification by stockholders.

In taking this action, the Audit Committee considered carefully PwC’s performance as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm, its independence with respect to the services to be performed and its general reputation for adherence to professional auditing standards. A new lead audit partner has been designated, and in conjunction with the mandated rotation of the lead audit partner, the Audit Committee and its Chair were directly involved in this selection.

The Audit Committee and the Board believe that the continued retention of PwC as our independent registered public accounting firm is in the best interests of the Company and our stockholders.

Because the members of the Audit Committee value the views of our stockholders on our independent auditors, even though ratification is not required by law, stockholders will have an opportunity to ratify this selection at the 2016 Annual Meeting. Representatives of PwC will be present at the 2016 Annual Meeting, will have the opportunity to make a statement if they desire to do so and will be available to respond to appropriate questions. If this proposal is not approved at the 2016 Annual Meeting, the Audit Committee may reconsider its selection of PwC. Even if the appointment is ratified, the Audit Committee, in its discretion, can direct the appointment of a different firm at any time during the year if the Audit Committee determines that such a change would be in the Company’s and our stockholders’ best interests.

Audit Committee Report

The Audit Committee is responsible for overseeing the accounting, internal control and financial reporting processes and the audit processes of the Company. As set forth in the Audit Committee’s charter, which is available at the Company’s

website at https://www.idexx.com/corporate/corporate-governance.html, the Company’s management is responsible for the preparation, presentation and integrity of the Company’s financial statements, the Company’s accounting and financial reporting principles, and internal controls and procedures designed to assure compliance with accounting standards and applicable laws and regulations. The Company has a full-time internal audit department that reports to the Audit Committee and management and is responsible for, among other things, objectively reviewing and assessing the adequacy and effectiveness of the Company’s internal controls and procedures.

At each of its nine regularly scheduled meetings in 2015, the Audit Committee met as a group with the Company’s management, the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm PwC and internal audit. In addition, in performing its oversight function, the Audit Committee held separate private sessions with senior management, the independent auditors and internal audit to assure that all were carrying out their respective responsibilities. Both PwC and the Director of Internal Audit had full access to the Audit Committee, including regular meetings during which members of management were not present.

In addition, the Audit Committee:

Based on the review and discussion referred to above, the Audit Committee recommended to the Board of Directors that the audited financial statements referred to above be included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015 for filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Audit Committee

Daniel M. Junius, Chair
Bruce L. Claflin
Thomas Craig
M. Anne Szostak

Independent Auditors’ Fees

The following table summarizes the fees of PwC billed to us for each of the last two fiscal years for audit services, and billed to us in each of the last two fiscal years for other services. For fiscal year 2015, audit fees also include an estimate of amounts not yet billed.

Audit Fees. Consists of fees billed for professional services rendered for the audit of our annual financial statements and review of the interim financial statements included in quarterly reports; the audit of the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting; statutory audits or financial audits for our subsidiaries or affiliates; services associated with periodic reports and other documents filed with the SEC; consultation concerning accounting or disclosure treatment of transactions or events and actual or potential impact of final or proposed rules, standards or interpretations by the SEC, the Financial Accounting Standards Board or other regulatory or standard setting bodies; and assistance with and review of documents provided to the SEC in responding to SEC comments.

Audit-Related Fees. Consists of fees billed for assurance and related services that are reasonably related to the performance of the audit or review of our financial statements and are not reported under “Audit Fees.” These services include due diligence services pertaining to potential acquisitions.

Tax Fees. Consists of tax compliance fees ($75,031 and $144,549 in 2015 and 2014, respectively), and tax advice and tax planning fees ($379,021 and $214,206 in 2015 and 2014, respectively). These services included U.S. federal, state and local tax planning and compliance advice; international tax planning, structure and compliance advice; and review of federal, state, local and international income, franchise and other tax returns.

All Other Fees. Consists of fees billed for services rendered in connection with an audit and certification of reporting to a third party vendor during 2014.

Out-of-Pocket Expenses and Value-Added Taxes. Included in the fee schedule above as components of each of Audit Fees, Tax Fees and All Other Fees are amounts billed by the independent auditors for out-of-pocket expenses ($91,014 and $83,829 in 2015 and 2014, respectively) and value-added taxes ($62,846 and $57,443 in 2015 and 2014, respectively).

Audit Committee Pre-Approval Policy

The Audit Committee has adopted a policy for the pre-approval of audit and non-audit services performed by our independent auditor, and the fees paid by us for such services, in order to assure that the provision of such services does not impair the auditor’s independence. Under the policy, at the beginning of the fiscal year, the Audit Committee pre-approves the engagement terms and fees for the annual audit. Certain types of other audit services, audit-related services and tax services have been pre-approved by the Audit Committee under the policy. Any services that have not been pre-approved by the Audit Committee as previously described must be separately approved by the Audit Committee prior to the performance of such services.

Pre-approved fee levels for all pre-approved services are established periodically by the Audit Committee. The Audit Committee then periodically reviews actual and anticipated fees for the pre-approved services against the pre-approved fee levels. Any anticipated fees exceeding the pre-approved fee levels require further pre-approval by the Audit Committee. With respect to each service for which separate pre-approval is proposed, the independent auditor will provide a detailed description of the services to permit the Audit Committee to assess the impact of the services on the independence of the independent auditor.

The Audit Committee may delegate pre-approval authority to one or more of its members and has delegated such authority to its chair. The Audit Committee member to whom such authority is delegated must report any pre-approval decisions to the Audit Committee at the next scheduled meeting. The Audit Committee does not delegate its pre-approval responsibilities to management.

During the last two fiscal years, no services were provided by PwC that were approved by the Audit Committee pursuant to the de minimis exception to pre-approval contained in the SEC’s rules.

Executive Compensation

Proposal Three - Advisory Vote to Approve Executive Compensation

We are asking our stockholders to approve, on an advisory, non-binding basis, the compensation of our named executive officers as described in this Proxy Statement at the 2016 Annual Meeting. This vote is not intended to address any specific item of compensation, but rather the overall compensation of our named executive officers and the philosophy, policies and practices described in this Proxy Statement. This proposal is commonly referred to as “say-on-pay.”

At the 2011 Annual Meeting, more than 93% of the votes cast by our stockholders were in favor of an annual advisory “say-on-pay” vote. Accordingly, since the 2011 Annual Meeting, we have annually submitted a “say-on-pay” proposal to our stockholders and received overwhelming stockholder support each year. At the 2015 Annual Meeting, our “say-on-pay” proposal was approved by our stockholders with 99.14% of the votes cast in favor of approving the compensation of our named executive officers, which is the highest among our peer group. The Board believes that this vote affirmed our stockholders’ support of our executive compensation program.

In deciding how to vote on this proposal, our stockholders are encouraged to read the Executive Compensation section of this Proxy Statement, including the Compensation Discussion and Analysis section, which discusses in detail our executive compensation program and how it implements our executive compensation philosophy, how our executive compensation program helps drive our business and other corporate strategies, the compensation decisions the Compensation Committee has made under our executive compensation program and some recent changes made to our compensation program.

Our Board recommends that our stockholders approve the following resolution:

RESOLVED, that the compensation paid to the Company’s named executive officers, as disclosed in this Proxy Statement for the 2016 Annual Meeting pursuant to Item 402 of Regulation S-K, including the Compensation Discussion and Analysis, compensation tables and narrative discussion, is hereby approved on an advisory basis.

As an advisory vote, it will not binding. However, our Compensation Committee and Board of Directors value the opinions expressed by our stockholders in their vote on this proposal and will consider the outcome of this vote when making future compensation decisions for our named executive officers.

Executive Officers

Set forth below are the names, ages, and current positions of our executive officers as of March 24, 2016 other than Mr. Ayers whose biographical information is located under “Proposal One – Election of Directors” on page 14:

Brian P. McKeon. Mr. McKeon has been Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer since January 2014. He leads our finance, business development and worldwide operations functions. Mr. McKeon served as a Director of IDEXX from July 2003 through December 2013, including serving as Chair of the Audit Committee and as a member of the Compensation Committee. Mr. McKeon served as Executive Vice President of Iron Mountain Incorporated from April 2007 to December 2013 and Chief Financial Officer of Iron Mountain from April 2007 to October 2013. Mr. McKeon was also Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of The Timberland Company from March 2000 to April 2007. From 1991 to 2000, Mr. McKeon held several finance and strategic planning positions with PepsiCo Inc., serving most recently as Vice President, Finance at Pepsi-Cola, North America. Mr. McKeon holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Connecticut and an MBA with high distinction from Harvard University.

Jay Mazelsky. Mr. Mazelsky has been an Executive Vice President since joining us in August 2012. He oversees our Companion Animal Group Commercial Organization, which includes our IDEXX VetLab^® in-house diagnostics, U.S. Diagnostic Imaging, Information Management, BioResearch and Telemedicine lines of business. Previously, Mr. Mazelsky was a Senior Vice President and General Manager from 2010 to 2012 of Computed Tomography, Nuclear Medicine and Radiation Therapy Planning at Philips Healthcare, a subsidiary of Royal Philips Electronics. Previously he held a series of other leadership roles with increasing responsibilities during his tenure at Philips beginning in 2001. Prior to joining Philips, Mr. Mazelsky was at Agilent Technologies, where he was an Executive in Charge from 2000 to 2002, leading the integration of Agilent’s Healthcare Group into Philips. He also served as a General Manager of the Medical Consumables Business Unit from 1997 to 2000 at Agilent Technologies. From 1988 to 1996, he was in a number of roles at Hewlett Packard in finance, marketing and business planning. Mr. Mazelsky holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of Rochester and an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago.

Jacqueline L. Studer. Ms. Studer has been Corporate Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary since September 2014. She leads the Company’s legal, compliance, regulatory affairs and quality assurance groups. Before joining the Company, Ms. Studer was Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of Blue Health Intelligence, a healthcare data and analytics company. Prior to that, from June 2011 to October 2012, Ms. Studer served as Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Allscripts Healthcare Solutions. From December 2002 to June 2011, Ms. Studer held various leadership positions at GE Healthcare, a medical technology company, including General Counsel of the GE Healthcare IT & Performance Solutions division. Ms. Studer has also held leadership roles in entrepreneurial organizations and with The Dow Chemical Company earlier in her career. Ms. Studer holds a bachelor’s degree in management from Purdue University and a J.D. from Columbia University School of Law.

Michael J. Williams, PhD. Dr. Williams has been an Executive Vice President since July 2012. He is responsible for oversight of our international operations as well as the Livestock, Poultry and Dairy and the Water segments and, since January 2007, our OPTI Medical Systems line of business. He was previously Corporate Vice President of our IDEXX VetLab^® in-house diagnostics line of business from September 2006 to July 2012 and General Manager of that line of business from 2004 to 2012. From 2003 to 2004, Dr. Williams was Vice President and General Manager of our chemistry instruments and consumables business. Prior to joining us in 2003, Dr. Williams was a healthcare strategy consultant at McKinsey & Company from 1995 to 2002, and a senior research associate at the Scripps Research Institute from 1992 to 1995. Dr. Williams holds a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from the University of Bristol, United Kingdom and a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of Oxford, United Kingdom.

Compensation Discussion and Analysis

This discussion, together with the other compensation information (including the Executive Compensation Tables) and the information regarding the Compensation Committee contained elsewhere in this Proxy Statement, explains the Company’s executive compensation program with respect to fiscal year 2015 for our Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, and the three other most highly compensated executives (collectively, our “named executive officers”):

Executive Summary and Overview

In furtherance of this philosophy, our executive compensation program is based on a pay-for-performance philosophy designed to achieve three key objectives:

Overview of Our Executive Compensation Program

We highlight below some of the key principles and objectives of our executive compensation program, as well as the compensation practices we have not implemented because we believe that they would not serve the long-term interests of our stockholders.