For Andrea White, finding career success never came from a desire to climb the ‘corporate ladder,’ rather, a need to solve challenges and voice solutions. ‘Fixing problems’ is where she found the most fulfillment, a mindset that led her up a winding path to becoming Sonoco’s Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) in March 2025, only the second woman to hold that position in the Company’s 125+ year history.  

“I think Howard (Coker) really wanted someone who understood different levels of manufacturing and different functional groups, somebody with a different ‘lens’,” she said. “Around 80% of our people work on the manufacturing floor, so from an HR perspective, it’s a big deal.” 

A Manufacturing Foundation

Her own growth began on the shop floor as a young process engineer at Milliken & Company in the late 90s after earning a degree from N.C. State University in Textile Engineering. The familiarity with Milliken’s operational excellence then opened the door for her at Sonoco. In 2006, she became their paper division’s first ever Reliability Engineer in Hartsville. A few years later, Sonoco would hire Milliken as a consultant and ask Andrea to lead the effort.

“They brought me over from paper to help establish the Sonoco Performance System – or SPS,” she said. “It was cool to see the program expand to tubes and cores, RPC, flexibles – all different types of manufacturing. It broadened my perspective and helped me see where improvements could be made across the board.”

As the new leader of SPS, a global program to expand standardization and efficient processes across Sonoco facilities, Andrea saw another opportunity for impact.

“I asked John Florence, our General Counsel who was leading HR at the time, if he’d allow me to lead the organizational development side of our continuous improvement work,” she said. “To which he quickly responded, ‘Absolutely.’”

The hybrid role exposed her to HR activities, from talent recruitment to succession planning, as well as mentors who encouraged her during periods of self-doubt.

“Every one of those leaders advocated for me,” she said. “I’ve realized over time that I’m the only one who can really hold myself back.”

It’s something she reminded herself of while stepping into unfamiliar territory as Interim IT Leader, and again today as a female member of Sonoco’s executive team.

“It goes back to what I call the ‘imposter syndrome’,” she said. “But then you realize everyone is just trying to solve problems and move the Company forward. The only person making you feel like an imposter is you.” 

Encouraging the Next Generation

Today, Andrea is working to help remove those same barriers, particularly for women and minorities in manufacturing. She leads HR’s partnership with school programs like ASCEND (Advanced Students Career Exploration & Needs Development), which introduces eight graders to skilled trade professions, the industry that set the foundation for her own success.

“For decades, manufacturing had a reputation for being dirty or unsafe,” she said. “But the reality is far from it; these are highly skilled, high-paying roles with incredible opportunities.”

And increasingly, she says, more women are taking notice.

“We want everyone to see a place for themselves here,” Andrea said. “People build businesses, and I believe everyone has certain gifts to give. Sometimes encouragement is all you really need, and that’s the gift I bring.”

Learn more about Andrea.