Vodafone Group Plc (LSE: VOD) and Liberty Global Ltd. (NASDAQ: LBTYA, LBTYB and LBTYK) have appointed Stephen van Rooyen as the Chief Executive Officer of VodafoneZiggo, effective September 2024. Formerly the CEO of Sky UK & Ireland and Chief Commercial Officer for the Sky Group, Mr. van Rooyen brings over 17 years of telecoms and media expertise to VodafoneZiggo. His tenure at Sky spanned various European countries, including Germany, Italy, Austria, Ireland, and Switzerland, where he played a pivotal role in driving growth, product diversification, and innovation.
During his time at Sky, Mr. van Rooyen spearheaded major product launches such as Sky Mobile, Sky Broadband, and NOW TV, along with the development of Sky’s TV platforms like Sky Q, Sky Glass, and Sky Stream. Additionally, he led Sky’s content and programming efforts, overseeing Sky Sports, Sky Cinema, and all Sky channels.
Ritchy Drost, currently serving as VodafoneZiggo’s Chief Financial Officer, will assume the interim CEO role until Mr. van Rooyen assumes his position in September. This transition follows the retirement of former VodafoneZiggo CEO Jeroen Hoencamp.
Mike Fries, Liberty Global’s Chief Executive Officer, commended Mr. van Rooyen’s exceptional talents and extensive experience, emphasizing his aptitude for driving growth and innovation. Fries expressed gratitude to Jeroen Hoencamp for his dedicated service and wished him well in his future endeavors.
Margherita Della Valle, Vodafone Group’s Chief Executive, highlighted Stephen van Rooyen’s senior roles at Sky, underscoring his valuable insights into both the telecoms and media sectors in Europe. Della Valle extended best wishes for Mr. van Rooyen’s upcoming role, expressing confidence in his leadership. In the interim, she expressed gratitude to Ritchy for assuming leadership responsibilities and thanked Jeroen for his successful stewardship of VodafoneZiggo over the past eight years.
Expressing his enthusiasm for joining the VodafoneZiggo family, Stephen van Rooyen conveyed his excitement about the new experience of living and working in the Netherlands, following many years in London.
