Sonoco's Jack Sanders takes over as chief executive officer

Jack Sanders has officially taken over as president and chief executive officer of Sonoco following his election by the company's board of directors.

Sanders succeeds Harris E. DeLoach Jr., who retired as CEO after a 27-year career with the company but will remain as executive chairman of the board.

He joined the firm in 1988 as national sales and marketing manager for the Reels business. In 1992, he built and led the development of the Protective Packaging business as its general manager and in 1998 was promoted to division vice president and general manager. 

"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,​" said Sanders, who is only the eighth CEO in the firm's 114-year history.