Sonoco's Howard Coker Honored by Fastmarkets Forest Products

Fastmarkets announce that Howard Coker, president and CEO of Sonoco Products, has been named the 2026 Fastmarkets Forest Products North American CEO of the Year. Coker will accept the award on Nov. 3 at the Forest Products North America and International Containerboard Conference in Chicago.

The Fastmarkets Forest Products Awards recognize senior leaders across the global pulp, paper, and packaging industry for their contributions to strategic leadership, operational excellence, and long-term value creation. Winners are determined by a panel of financial analysts and industry experts who cover the sector and assess executives based on performance, execution and impact within their respective regions and businesses.

Coker joined Sonoco in 1985 and has held a range of sales, manufacturing and management roles across the company. Before assuming his current role in 2020, he held several senior level roles, where he was responsible for the company’s Rigid Paper Container operations worldwide as well as its Industrial Paper and Tubes & Cores operations.