R. Howard Coker
R. Howard Coker, 57, is President and CEO of Sonoco. In this role, Coker has global leadership, sales and operating responsibility for all of the Company’s diversified consumer, industrial and protective packaging businesses. He previously served as Senior Vice President, Global Paper/Industrial Converted Products.
Coker previously served as Senior Vice President, Rigid Paper Containers and Paper/Engineered Carriers International, where he had responsibility for the Company’s global composite can operations in North America, South America, Europe and Asia, as well as paper, tube and core operations in Europe, Latin America and Australasia.
Prior to that, Coker served as Vice President, Rigid Paper and Closures, North America. In this role, he had responsibility for Sonoco's 21 rigid paper container and seven metal and peelable membrane closure operations in the United States, Canada and Mexico. He was also elected a Corporate Officer in February 2009.
He also served as Group Vice President and held several leadership positions running global consumer-related and industrial businesses.
Coker joined Sonoco in 1985 and has held a number of sales, manufacturing and management positions at the Company in businesses serving consumer and industrial markets.
Coker is a 1985 graduate of Wofford College with a B.A. in Business Administration, and he received an MBA from Wake Forest University in 1990.
He is married, has three children and lives in Hartsville, SC.