Vodafone UK CEO Tapped to Lead Dutch Venture with Liberty Global

DENVER/LONDON: Vodafone Group has appointed two senior executives for its joint venture with Liberty Global, with Jeroen Hoencamp being named chief executive.

Hoencamp is currently the chief executive of Vodafone UK and was previously chief executive of Vodafone Ireland. In anticipation of the joint venture closing, Vodafone also announced that Hoencamp will assume the position of chief executive of Vodafone Netherlands, effective September 1.

Ritchy Drost has been appointed CFO of the proposed 50‐50 joint-venture business combining Vodafone Netherlands and Ziggo. Drost is currently CFO of Ziggo, a position he has held since September 2015. He has held a variety of senior management roles during his 17-year career with Liberty Global.

Liberty Global also announced that Ziggo Chief Executive Baptiest Coopmans will remain in his current position as CEO until completion of the transaction, after which he will join the supervisory board of the joint venture as one of Liberty Global’s appointed directors. Coopmans has held the chief executive position at Ziggo since November 2014 and successfully led the merger and integration of UPC and Ziggo. Vodafone Netherlands CFO Carmen Velthuis will remain in her current position until the merger has completed. Vodafone will announce her subsequent assignment in due course.

Vodafone Group’s chief executive, Vittorio Colao, and Liberty Global’s CEO, Mike Fries, said: “Jeroen and Ritchy are experienced business leaders with extensive operational, strategic and merger integration experience. We are delighted they will be shaping our companies’ shared mission to create a strong and competitive integrated communications provider serving consumers, businesses and public sector customers in the Dutch market.”

Fries added: “I am particularly pleased that Baptiest Coopmans has agreed to join the joint venture supervisory board once the transaction is completed. He is an experienced leader and a trusted member of my executive team whose knowledge of the Dutch broadband and pay TV market will be invaluable. I look forward to working with Baptiest in this new role and exploring other opportunities in the Liberty group.”