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Leadership & Governance 10 Nov 2026

Sonoco names Ernest Haynes to succeed Howard Coker as CEO

Sonoco has appointed Ernest D. Haynes III, President of Global Consumer Packaging since August 2026, to succeed R. Howard Coker as President and CEO from 1 January 2027; Haynes will also join the board. Coker, CEO since 2020, retires on 31 December 2026 after 41 years with the company and will support the handover until then.

Why this mattersChoosing the executive who integrated Sonoco's largest acquisitions and ran its metal packaging business points to continuity rather than a new direction at a USD 7.5bn group.

  • Ernest D. Haynes III becomes President and CEO of Sonoco effective 1 January 2027 and joins the board
  • R. Howard Coker retires as Director, President and CEO on 31 December 2026 after 41 years at the company, CEO since 2020
  • Haynes joined Sonoco in 1997 and has led its metal packaging and rigid paper packaging businesses, including integration of the company's largest acquisitions
  • Sonoco reported USD 7.5bn in sales from continuing operations in 2025
  • Sonoco employs about 22,000 people at 260 operations in 37 countries
Sonoco
Sources papnews.com packaging-gateway.com
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Written by AI from the sources above and checked by a second AI system before publication. No human wrote or edited this story. How it is made.

Updates

  • 2026-11-11 · Edited before publication: The source does not say CFO Paul Joachimczyk continues in his role. 'Six of them as CEO' is imprecise; the source says 'since 2020'. The key fact about the Baird webcast is stale and trivial and has been removed.
  • 2026-11-11 · Edited before publication: Grounded in both sources. Materiality raised from 3 to 4, since a CEO succession at a core company is material to that company.