Following the death of Tomás López, Sonoco announced Monday the appointment of an interim CEO at Sonoco Metal Packaging EMEA, a unit Sonoco integrated and rebranded following its acquisition of Eviosys.
Sonoco Chief Operating Officer Rodger Fuller, who has been with the company for more than 40 years, is now the interim CEO at Sonoco Metal Packaging EMEA.
“While Tomás’ passing comes as a shock, Rodger will provide leadership stability working with the SMP EMEA leadership team to continue our vision of building the largest, most sustainable global metal packaging enterprise,” Sonoco CEO Howard Coker said in a news release.
López had served as CEO of Switzerland-based metal packaging company Eviosys prior to its acquisition by Sonoco in December 2024. He died in his hometown of Murcia, Spain, the company reported.
“It is with great sadness to reflect on Tomás passing. He was truly a visionary leader in the European metal can-making industry,” Coker said in a statement.
López began his can-making career in 1980 at Mivisa Envases, a Spanish manufacturer of food cans and ends. He helped the company grow into the largest food can producer in the Iberian Peninsula and Morocco, according to Sonoco’s news release, and he became CEO in 2005. Mivisa was acquired by Crown Holdings in 2014. Eviosys later formed in 2021 when KPS Capital Partners purchased Crown’s food and consumer packaging assets in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Fuller is a regular speaker during Sonoco’s quarterly earnings calls, frequently discussing the company’s M&A activity, among other footprint and portfolio changes. Besides the Eviosys acquisition, Sonoco has undergone significant structural and strategic changes in the last 18 months, including reworking its business units to make metal packaging one of four core businesses.
