Sky high-flier Stephen van Rooyen lands at VodafoneZiggo as new CEO

Stephen van Rooyen, the man who helped launch Sky Mobile andn Sky Broadband in the UK will be the new CEO of Vodafone’s Netherlands joint venture, VodafoneZiggo, from September.

VodafoneZiggo is a Dutch company offering fixed, mobile, and integrated communication and entertainment services to consumers and businesses. It is a joint venture of Liberty Global, the international TV and broadband internet company, and Vodafone Group.

Van Rooyen takes over from VodafoneZiggo CEO Jeroen Hoencamp, who is retiring. Hoencamp was Vodafone UK boss for three years between 2013 and 2016. Ritchy Drost, VodafoneZiggo’s Chief Financial Officer, will be VodafoneZiggo’s interim CEO until van Rooyen joins.

Van Rooyen spent 17 years at Sky in the UK and several other countries in Europe, including Germany, Italy, Austria, Ireland, and Switzerland. He 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.

Margherita Della Valle, Vodafone Group Chief Executive, commented: “Having held senior commercial and leadership roles at Sky, Stephen brings considerable expertise in 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 to success since he took the reins eight years ago.”

Van Rooyen said: “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.”