VP of Market Management,
Sun Chemical
Rick Stokes is Vice President of Market Management at Sun Chemical, where he leads market strategy and analytics to support growth across key printing and packaging segments. With more than 34 years of experience in the packaging industry, Rick has held senior leadership roles spanning manufacturing, sales, marketing, business development, and market management, with a deep focus on inks, coatings, and adhesives for packaging applications.
Prior to his current role, Rick served in multiple executive positions within Sun Chemical’s Coatings Group and previously held global leadership roles at Michelman and Ashland, where he managed international sales organizations, developed growth strategies for emerging applications, and helped build industry-leading manufacturing and product platforms. His career uniquely blends hands-on technical expertise with strategic marketing and commercial leadership.
Rick is an engineer by training, holding a B.S. in Material Science Engineering from The Ohio State University, and an MBA with a focus on Economics and Finance from Ashland University. He is a frequent speaker on packaging market trends, sustainability, technology evolution, and the future of printing and packaging, known for connecting technical innovation with real-world market dynamics
