Liberty Global Names Stephen Van Rooyen as New Ziggo Group CEO Ahead of Planned Amsterdam Listing in 2027
Rhea-AI Summary
Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LBTYA) plans to form Ziggo Group, combining VodafoneZiggo in the Netherlands and Telenet in Belgium into a Benelux telecom operator with about 13m customers and €6.6bn ($7.7bn) revenue*.
VodafoneZiggo CEO Stephen van Rooyen will become Ziggo Group CEO and Jany Fruytier CFO on September 1. Ziggo Group is expected to list on Euronext Amsterdam in 2027, with 90% of shares proposed for distribution to Liberty Global shareholders and 10% held by Vodafone, linked to the pending acquisition of its 50% VodafoneZiggo stake.
Positive
- Creation of Ziggo Group with about 13m customers and €6.6bn revenue*
- Planned Euronext Amsterdam listing in 2027 for Ziggo Group
- Proposed distribution of 90% of Ziggo Group shares to Liberty Global shareholders
- Vodafone expected to own 10% of Ziggo Group after pending stake acquisition
- Appointment of experienced CEO Stephen van Rooyen and CFO Jany Fruytier from September 1
- Recent strongest fixed-line and broadband performances at VodafoneZiggo and Telenet reported
Negative
- None.
News Market Reaction – LBTYA
In the Jun 1 session, LBTYA declined 2.96%, reflecting a moderate negative market reaction.
Data tracked by StockTitan Argus on the day of publication.
Key Figures
Historical Context
| Date | Event | Sentiment | 24h Move | Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 06 | AI investment | Positive | +2.2% | Tech Ventures investment in AI security firm XBOW fitting AI strategy. |
| May 01 | Quarterly earnings | Positive | +3.3% | Q1 2026 results with detailed metrics and reiterated full-year guidance. |
| Mar 24 | Earnings call schedule | Neutral | +0.9% | Announcement of Q1 2026 release date and investor call details. |
| Mar 18 | Subsidiary CEO change | Positive | -2.5% | New CEO appointed at Liberty Blume to lead next expansion stage. |
| Mar 10 | Conference participation | Neutral | -2.2% | Planned presentation at NewStreet/BCG Global Connectivity conference. |
24h Move is the share-price change in the day after each event; other market factors may also have contributed.
Recent Liberty Global news with clear strategic or financial angles has often seen modest positive price reactions, while some management or conference updates have produced mixed or negative moves.
Over the past six months, Liberty Global has reported stronger Q1 2026 results with revenue of $1,274.6M and reiterated 2026 guidance, plus plans to acquire Vodafone’s 50% stake in VodafoneZiggo and spin it off by H2 2027. It also invested in AI security firm XBOW and reshaped leadership at Liberty Blume. Conference and scheduling updates had smaller or negative reactions. Today’s Ziggo Group leadership and listing plans extend this pattern of portfolio and regional optimization.
AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.
- Current Sunrise CFO, Jany Fruytier, will take on the role of Chief Financial Officer of the combined group
- Both bring deep industry experience and will take up their roles on September 1st to lead preparations for the planned listing of Ziggo Group in Amsterdam in 2027
- Ziggo Group brings VodafoneZiggo in the Netherlands and Telenet in Belgium together into a single Benelux group with a total of around 13m customers and
€6.6b n ($7.7b n) of revenue*, with both businesses continuing to operate under their existing brands and leadership teams
DENVER and LONDON, June 01, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Liberty Global Ltd. (NASDAQ: LBTYA, LBTYB and LBTYK) today announced that it intends to appoint VodafoneZiggo CEO Stephen van Rooyen as Chief Executive Officer of Ziggo Group, a newly-formed Benelux telecommunications company that will combine VodafoneZiggo in the Netherlands and Telenet in Belgium, creating a scaled regional telecoms champion with 13m customers and
Mr van Rooyen brings extensive European telecoms and media leadership experience to the role and has led a turnaround at VodafoneZiggo over the past 18 months. He previously spent more than 17 years at Sky, where he served as CEO of Sky UK & Ireland and Chief Commercial Officer of the Sky Group. He will be joined by Jany Fruytier, who has been CFO of Sunrise in Switzerland since 2020, and played a key role in the growth and public listing of Liberty Global’s Swiss business, which has delivered significant shareholder returns.
The new stand-alone group will provide sharper strategic and financial focus and a robust capital structure, giving Ziggo Group the agility to invest in innovative products and customer services, deliver digital-first customer experiences and respond more quickly to evolving customer needs.
Ziggo Group is expected to be listed on Euronext Amsterdam in 2027, with
Mr van Rooyen will retain his role at VodafoneZiggo alongside his new responsibilities. Since his appointment in September 2024, he has led a turnaround in the business, including lower churn, a refreshed brand, the launch of new customer products and the strongest fixed-line performance in nearly three years. John Porter continues as CEO of Telenet, which has just delivered its strongest quarterly broadband performance in ten years.
Mike Fries, Liberty Global Chairman and CEO, said: “The creation of Ziggo Group is a clear step towards unlocking the value in our Benelux telecoms business for shareholders. Stephen’s pan-European leadership experience and track record of operational transformation, combined with Jany’s financial expertise and experience from the Sunrise listing, give us the right team to deliver this. Together, they will lead two highly complementary businesses, and we see significant opportunities in what these two strong brands can achieve together.”
Stephen van Rooyen said: “I’m energised to take on this new role. Having led the turnaround at VodafoneZiggo over the past 18 months, I see a clear opportunity in bringing VodafoneZiggo and Telenet together under Ziggo Group. These are two strong, locally rooted businesses, and by working more closely together we can build an even stronger platform for customers across the Benelux. Together, we will continue to raise the bar on customer experience, innovation and growth in the region.”
John Porter said: “The development of Ziggo Group creates huge opportunities to generate additional strength and economies of scale at the Benelux level, while at the same time allowing us to maintain our local course and customer focus. I look forward to working closely with Stephen to help build that next phase.”
Both businesses will continue to operate under their existing brands and leadership teams. In both markets, VodafoneZiggo and Telenet offer top-tier sports and entertainment to customers and have won multiple awards for their mobile and broadband networks, underpinning strong customer propositions.
*Financial data as of December 31, 2025 and simply represents the combined results of the VodafoneZiggo JV and Telenet, excluding Wyre. US GAAP and IFRS are broadly similar. For more additional information please see Liberty Global Q1 investor presentation
ABOUT LIBERTY GLOBAL
Liberty Global Ltd. (Nasdaq: LBTYA, LBTYB, LBTYK) delivers long-term shareholder value through the strategic management of two complementary platforms: Liberty Telecom and Liberty Growth.
Liberty Telecom is a world leader in converged broadband, video and mobile communications, providing approximately 80 million fixed and mobile connections across Europe through advanced fiber and 5G networks that empower customers and strengthen national economies. The business generates aggregate revenue of
Liberty Growth invests in scalable businesses across the technology, media, sports and infrastructure sectors, with a portfolio of roughly 70 companies and funds valued at
Together, these platforms reflect Liberty Global’s focus on operating, enabling and investing in businesses with strong strategic fit and the potential to deliver sustainable long-term returns.
*As independently valued as of December 31, 2025.
FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENT
This communication contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding the combination of Liberty Globa’s interests in VodafoneZiggo and Telenet into a new holding company to be named Ziggo Group, the potential listing of the Ziggo Group shares for trading (together, the “Transaction”), the performance of Ziggo Group following the Transaction and other information and statements that are not historical fact. These forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, some of which are beyond our control, that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these statements. Such risks and uncertainties include the risk that we do not receive shareholder approval for certain aspects of the Transaction and/or related matters, our ability to satisfy the other conditions to the Transaction on the expected timeframe or at all, the approval of the shares of Ziggo Group for listing on the relevant stock exchange and the development of a trading market for them, the Liberty Global Board of Directors’ discretion to decide not to complete the Transaction for any reason, our ability to realize the expected benefits from the Transaction, unanticipated difficulties or costs in connection with the Transaction, Ziggo Group’s ability to successfully operate as an independent public company and maintain its relationships with material counterparties after the Transaction and other factors detailed from time to time in Liberty Global’s most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K, as it may be updated or supplemented from time to time by our quarterly reports and other subsequent filings.
These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof. We expressly disclaim any obligation or undertaking to disseminate any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statement contained herein to reflect any change in our expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statement.
Photos accompanying this announcement are available at
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1a79237d-cc37-4633-8a80-5dbceeaa37b2
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/610429b7-b79b-49ff-a805-056f62998ab1
A PDF accompanying this announcement is available at
http://ml.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/7d5073a3-0f7b-4077-a2d7-58486179198d
For more information, please visit www.libertyglobal.com or contact: Investor Relations: Michael Bishop +44 20 8483 6246; Lewis Chong +44 7927 58318 Corporate Communications: Pádraig McGarrigle +44 7474 736967