HARTSVILLE, S.C., Aug. 18, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sonoco Products Company (“Sonoco” or the “Company”) (NYSE: SON), a global leader in high-value metal and paper consumer and industrial packaging, today announced Francesco Giannolo’s appointment to Vice President and General Manager of Sonoco Consumer Packaging, EMEA. He reports directly to Ernest Haynes, president of Sonoco’s Global Consumer Packaging segment.
Giannolo joined Sonoco in 2019 and prior to this new appointment was Vice President of Commercial for Sonoco’s Consumer Packaging EMEA/APAC business. In 2022, Giannolo was appointed Vice President and General Manager of Sonoco’s Rigid Paper Containers business in EMEA and held other sales leadership roles.
“As we align our global Consumer Packaging businesses, it is critical that we have a strong, experienced leader in the EMEA region. Francesco is that leader,” said Ernest Haynes, president of Sonoco Global Consumer Packaging. “We look forward to even greater focus on innovation, productivity and customer service.”
A native of Naples, Italy, Giannolo has worked in the packaging industry for 23 years, beginning his career at Crown Packaging in 2004 where he was named Plant Manager. He then worked with Amcor as Plant General Manager in its medical division before joining its commercial excellence team where he served as Senior Director of Commercial Excellence for EMEA. Giannolo holds a Master of Science in Environmental and Land Planning Engineering from the Federico II University of Naples.
Earlier this month, Sonoco aligned its Global Consumer Packaging businesses under a single integrated leadership structure, led by Haynes. As President of Sonoco’s Global Consumer Packaging segment, Haynes is responsible for Sonoco’s largest global business with roughly $5.2 billion in annual sales, 98 operations in 25 countries and 11,250 employees serving some of the best-known consumer brands around the world.
About Sonoco
Founded in 1899, Sonoco (NYSE: SON) is a global leader in value-added, sustainable metal and paper consumer and industrial packaging. A Fortune 500 company, Sonoco generated net sales of $7.5 billion from continuing operations in 2025 and has approximately 22,000 employees working in 263 operations in 37 countries, serving some of the world’s best-known brands. Guided by our purpose of Better Packaging. Better Life., we strive to foster a culture of innovation, collaboration and excellence to provide solutions that better serve all our stakeholders and support a more sustainable future. Sonoco was proudly named one of the World’s Most Admired Companies by Fortune in 2026 as well as one of America’s Most Admired and Responsible Companies by Fortune and Newsweek. In 2025, the Company was included on USA TODAY’s list of America’s Climate Leaders. For more information on the Company, visit our website at www.sonoco.com.
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