New CEO to Drive VodafoneZiggo: Enhancing Telecom and Media Synergies

New CEO to Drive VodafoneZiggo: Enhancing Telecom and Media Synergies

(IN BRIEF) Vodafone Group Plc and Liberty Global Ltd. announce Stephen van Rooyen as the new Chief Executive Officer of VodafoneZiggo, effective September 2024. With over 17 years of experience at Sky UK & Ireland and Sky Group, van Rooyen’s tenure saw significant growth and innovation in telecoms and media sectors across Europe. Ritchy Drost, VodafoneZiggo’s CFO, will serve as interim CEO until van Rooyen assumes his role. His appointment follows the retirement of previous CEO Jeroen Hoencamp. Van Rooyen’s expertise in brand, products, and innovation is expected to drive VodafoneZiggo’s competitiveness in the Dutch market, as acknowledged by Liberty Global CEO Mike Fries and Vodafone Group CEO Margherita Della Valle. Van Rooyen expresses excitement about the new role and relocation to the Netherlands, where he will lead from the company’s Utrecht headquarters.

(PRESS RELEASE) BERKSHIRE, 21-May-2024 — /EuropaWire/ — Vodafone Group Plc (LSE: VOD) and Liberty Global Ltd. (NASDAQ: LBTYA, LBTYB and LBTYK) today announce that Stephen van Rooyen has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of VodafoneZiggo, effective from September 2024.

Mr. van Rooyen was the CEO of Sky UK & Ireland and Chief Commercial Officer for the Sky Group. He brings a wealth of telecoms and media experience to VodafoneZiggo after more than 17 years at Sky in the UK and in several other countries in Europe including Germany, Italy, Austria, Ireland and Switzerland. Driving consistent growth, product diversification and innovation, Mr. van Rooyen was a key part of several major product launches, including Sky Mobile, Sky Broadband, NOW TV as well as the evolution of Sky’s TV platforms, Sky Q, Sky Glass, and Sky Stream. He was also instrumental in Sky’s content and programming, leading Sky Sports, Sky Cinema and all Sky channels.

Ritchy Drost, VodafoneZiggo’s Chief Financial Officer, will lead VodafoneZiggo as interim CEO until Mr. van Rooyen joins in September. Mr. van Rooyen’s appointment follows the retirement of previous VodafoneZiggo CEO Jeroen Hoencamp.

Mike Fries, Liberty Global Chief Executive Officer, comments: “Stephen is an exceptionally talented executive with a strong track record of driving growth and innovation over the last two decades with Sky. He brings with him deep expertise in brand, products and innovation which is exactly what we need in the competitive Dutch market. I’d like to thank Jeroen Hoencamp for his years of great service and friendship and wish him all the best on his next journey.”

Margherita Della Valle, Vodafone Group Chief Executive, comments: “Having held senior commercial and leadership roles at Sky, Stephen brings considerable expertise of both the telecoms and media sectors in Europe. We wish him every success when he takes over in September. In the meantime, we are delighted that Ritchy will lead the company in an interim role and we wholeheartedly thank Jeroen, who has expertly steered VodafoneZiggo for success since he took the reins eight years ago.”

Stephen van Rooyen, incoming Chief Executive Officer, VodafoneZiggo, comments: “I’m incredibly excited to join the VodafoneZiggo family. Having been based in London for many years, I look forward to a new experience, for both me and my family, living and working in The Netherlands.”

Mr. van Rooyen will be posted in The Netherlands, at the Company’s Utrecht headquarters.

About Liberty Global

Liberty Global (NASDAQ: LBTYA, LBTYB and LBTYK) is a world leader in converged broadband, video and mobile communications services. We deliver next-generation products through advanced fiber and 5G networks, and currently provide over 85 million* connections across Europe. Our businesses operate under some of the best-known consumer brands, including Sunrise in Switzerland, Telenet in Belgium, Virgin Media in Ireland, UPC in Slovakia, Virgin Media-O2 in the U.K. and VodafoneZiggo in The Netherlands. Through our substantial scale and commitment to innovation, we are building Tomorrow’s Connections Today, investing in the infrastructure and platforms that empower our customers to make the most of the digital revolution, while deploying the advanced technologies that nations and economies need to thrive.

Liberty Global’s consolidated businesses generate annual revenue of more than $7 billion, while the VMO2 JV and the VodafoneZiggo JV generate combined annual revenue of more than $18 billion.**

Liberty Global Ventures, our global investment arm, has a portfolio of more than 75 companies and funds across the content, technology and infrastructure industries, including stakes in companies like ITV, Televisa Univision, Plume, AtlasEdge and the Formula E racing series.

*Represents aggregate consolidated and 50% owned non-consolidated fixed and mobile subscribers. Includes wholesale mobile connections of the VMO2 JV and B2B fixed subscribers of the VodafoneZiggo JV.

**Revenue figures above are provided based on full year 2023 Liberty Global consolidated results and the combined as reported full year 2023 results for the VodafoneZiggo JV and full year 2023 U.S. GAAP results for the VMO2 JV.

Sunrise, Telenet, the VMO2 JV and the VodafoneZiggo JV deliver mobile services as mobile network operators. Virgin Media Ireland delivers mobile services as a mobile virtual network operator through third-party networks. UPC Slovakia delivers mobile services as a reseller of SIM cards.

Liberty Global Ltd. is listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbols “LBTYA”, “LBTYB” and “LBTYK”.

About Vodafone

Vodafone is a leading European and African telecoms company. We provide mobile and fixed services to over 330 million customers in 15 countries (excludes Italy and Spain which are held as discontinued operations under Vodafone Group), partner with mobile networks in 43 more and have one of the world’s largest IoT platforms. In Africa, our financial technology businesses serve almost 79 million customers across seven countries – managing more transactions than any other provider.

Our purpose is to connect for a better future by using technology to improve lives, businesses and help progress inclusive sustainable societies. We are committed to reducing our environmental impact to reach net zero emissions by 2040.

For more information, please visit www.vodafone.com, follow us on X (formerly Twitter) at @VodafoneGroup or connect with us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/vodafone.

Media Contacts:

Liberty Global:

Investor Relations
Michael Bishop
+44 20 8483 6246

Corporate Communications
Bill Myers +1 303 220 6686
Matt Beake +44 20 8483 6428

Vodafone:

Investor Relations
investors.vodafone.com
vodafone.com/news/contact-us

Media Relations
ir@vodafone.co.uk
GroupMedia@vodafone.com

SOURCE: Vodafone Group