HARTSVILLE, S.C. - Sonoco announced today that M. Jack Sanders has taken over as president and chief executive officer following his election by the Company's board of directors. Sanders, 59, succeeds Harris E. DeLoach Jr., who retired as CEO after a 27-year career with the Company. As announced in December, DeLoach, 68, remains Sonoco's executive chairman of the board."I'm extremely proud and honored to be elected to lead such a great company," said Sanders, who is only the Company's eighth CEO in its 114-year history. "Sonoco was founded on creativity, hard work, a spirit of innovation and a focus on satisfying our customers while creating value for our shareholders. We want to continue building on past successes and defining a new future for this exceptional company."

A graduate of Louisiana State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in finance, Sanders joined Sonoco in 1988 as national sales and marketing manager for the Company's Reels business. In 1992, he was asked to build and lead the development of Sonoco's new Protective Packaging business as its general manager and in 1998 was promoted to division vice president and general manager. 

Sanders was elected a corporate officer and named vice president, Industrial Products, North America, in 2001. He was subsequently named vice president, Global Industrial Products, in January 2006 and assumed responsibility for all Industrial Converting businesses as senior vice president in July 2007. In 2008, Sanders was named executive vice president, Industrial, with global operating responsibility for all of the Company's businesses serving industrial markets, including Sonoco's tubes and cores, paper, reels, protective packaging, paperboard specialties and recycling businesses. Prior to assuming his current position, Sanders served as the executive vice president of Sonoco's Global Consumer businesses, where he was responsible for Rigid Paper and Closures, Rigid Plastics, Flexible Packaging, and Display and Packaging.