Jul 18, 2007. /Lesprom Network/. Philippe R. Rollier, formerly president and chief executive officer of Lafarge North America, Inc. and executive vice president of Lafarge Group, has been elected to the Sonoco (NYSE: SON - News) Board of Directors, it was announced today by Harris E. DeLoach, Jr., chairman, president and chief executive officer. "We are delighted that Philippe Rollier has agreed to join Sonoco's board of directors," said DeLoach. "His extensive international experience, including having successfully developed and run businesses for Lafarge with operations in Asia, Europe and North America, will be extremely insightful for Sonoco's global operations." Rollier, 64, spent his entire career with Lafarge, a construction materials group based in Paris, France, having retired at the end of 2006. He served as managing director of Lafarge's Allia ceramic sanitary ware subsidiary with operations in Europe from 1982-1989; managing director of Lafarge's Orsan subsidiary, which specialized in global biochemistry from 1989-1995; senior vice president, Central Europe, for cement and concrete from the Rhine to Russia from 1995 to 2001; and from 2001 through the end of 2006 as president and CEO of Lafarge North America, the largest producer of construction materials in North America with sales of $5 billion. He became executive vice president of Lafarge Group in 1999. Residing in Paris, Rollier serves on the board of directors of Moria SA, a world leader of Lasik ocular surgery instruments, Bacou-Dalloz, a global leader in design, manufacturing and sales of personal protection equipment, and Carbone Lorraine, one of the world's largest producers of isostatic graphite. With Rollier's election, Sonoco's board currently has 13 members. About Sonoco Founded in 1899, Sonoco is a $3.7 billion global manufacturer of industrial and consumer products and provider of packaging services, with more than 330 operations in 35 countries, serving customers in some 85 nations.