Sonoco Announces Leadership Appointments

According to M. Jack Sanders, president and chief operating officer, the appointments follow Sonoco's recently announced agreement to acquire Tegrant Corp., a leading provider of highly engineered protective, temperature-assured and retail security packaging.

John Colyer, vice president, Global Industrial Converting, has been given the responsibility of running Sonoco's expanding global protective packaging operations. He also will continue to oversee the Company's tubes and cores, and wire and cable reels businesses, reporting to Sanders.

Prior to his current role overseeing Global Industrial Converting, Colyer was vice president, North America Converting. He began his career at Sonoco in 1983 and has served in several leadership positions within the Company's Industrial and Consumer operations. He has a B.S. degree in business administration from Southern Oregon State University.

Overseeing the integration of the combined Sonoco Protective Packaging business is Vicki Arthur, vice president, Global Corporate Customers. In this new role, she will continue as vice president and report to Colyer.

Prior to serving as vice president, Global Corporate Customers, Arthur was division vice president and general manager, Kraft, where she had global responsibility for Kraft Foods. She joined Sonoco in 1984 and held various positions in financial reporting, treasury and accounting before becoming staff vice president and treasurer in 2002. Arthur graduated from the University of South Carolina with a B.S. degree in accounting and holds an MBA in business from Duke University. She is a Certified Public Accountant.

With Arthur's move, Rodger Fuller has been given expanded duties as vice president, Global Rigid Plastics and Corporate Customers. While he will continue to manage Sonoco's plastics operations, he also will oversee Global Corporate Customers, which account for approximately 25 percent of the Company's revenues. He continues to report to Sanders.

Fuller joined Sonoco in 1985 and has held a number of leadership positions. He has served as vice president, Global Rigid Paper and Plastics; vice president, Rigid Paper and Closures - North America; division vice president, Consumer Products Division - Europe; and president Sonoco Limited, Canada. Fuller graduated from Berry College in Rome, Georgia, with a B.S. degree in business administration. He received an MBA from Emory University.

Howard Coker, vice president, Global Rigid Paper and Closures, maintains responsibility for running Sonoco's largest Consumer business and now reports to Sanders.

During his career at Sonoco, Coker has held numerous leadership positions, including vice president, Rigid Paper and Closures - North America; division vice president and general manager, Sonoco Phoenix; director of sales and marketing, Rigid Paper and Plastics - North America; and general manager, Asia/Pacific, Rigid Paper and Plastics. He is a graduate of Wofford College in Spartanburg, S.C., with a B.A. degree in business administration. He also received an M.A. degree in business administration from Wake Forest University.

As previously announced, Tegrant President and Chief Executive Officer Ron Leach, has agreed to join Sonoco and continue leading the Tegrant businesses integrating into Sonoco, reporting to Colyer.

Prior to his position as Tegrant's president and CEO, Leach was president and chief executive officer of Alloyd Company, where he began as vice president of Engineering/Operations. He also served as a general manager with TriEnd Corporation, and has held multiple roles within the packaging industry in engineering and operations management. Leach holds a B.S. degree in packaging engineering from Michigan State University.