Board Members

John R. Haley, 62    Chairman since April 2019. Chief Executive Officer, Gosiger, Inc. (privately owned distributor of computer-controlled machine tools and factory automation systems), Dayton, Ohio, since 2010. Board member since 2011. Chair of the Executive committee.

Howard Coker is President and CEO of Sonoco.

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. He previously served as Senior Vice President, Global Paper/Industrial Converted Products where he led all of Sonoco's Industrial-related businesses.

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.

He 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 currently serves on the Board of Directors of Wofford College, the Chair, American Forest & Paper Association and on the Board of Trustees for the Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation (MAPI).

He is married, has three children and lives in Hartsville, SC.

Robert R. Hill Jr., 57    Lead Independent Director since 2022. Retired. Former Executive Chairman and Director of South State Corporation (financial services company), Columbia, S.C., 2020-23. Board member since 2019. Chair of the Corporate Governance and Nominating committee and member of the Executive, Executive Compensation, and Financial Policy committees.

Steven L. Boyd, 66   Retired. Executive with more than 35 years of experience with global Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) companies. Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Johnson C. Smith University. Member of Audit and Employee and Public Responsibility committees.

Dr. Pamela L. Davies, 67    President Emerita and professor of strategy at Queens University of Charlotte, Charlotte, N.C., since 2019. Board member since 2004. Chair of the Employee and Public Responsibility committee and member of the Executive Compensation, and Corporate Governance and Nominating committees.

Theresa J. Drew, 66    Retired. Former Managing Partner of the Carolinas practice of Deloitte, Charlotte, N.C., 2011-19. Board member since 2018. Chair and Financial Expert of the Audit committee and member of the Financial Policy committee.

Philippe Guillemot, 64    Chief Executive Officer and Director of Vallourec (tubular solutions for various industrial markets) Meudon, France, since 2022. Member of the Employee and Public Responsibility, and Financial Policy committees.

Richard G. Kyle, 58    President and Chief Executive Officer of The Timken Company (a manufacturer of bearings, transmissions, gearboxes, motors, lubrication systems and chain), North Canton, Ohio, since 2014. Board member since 2015. Chair of the Executive Compensation committee and member of the Audit, and Corporate Governance committees. 

Blythe J. McGarvie, 67    Taught accounting at Harvard Business School in the full-time MBA program 2012-14. She continues to write for the NACD online journal and host webinars on corporate governance topics.  Board member since 2014. Chair of the Financial Policy committee and member of the Audit, and Employee and Public Responsibility committees.

Thomas E. Whiddon, 71    Retired. Former Advisory Director of Berkshire Partners, LLC (private equity firm), Boston, Mass., 2005-13. Board member since 2001. Member of the Audit, Executive Compensation, and Corporate Governance committees and Audit Committee Financial Expert.