- Experienced and proven leadership team appointed to newly created Ziggo Group with expertise and backgrounds across Liberty Global, Telenet, VodafoneZiggo and beyond
- New appointments join Ziggo Group CEO Stephen van Rooyen and Telenet group CEO John Porter ahead of intended listing on Euronext Amsterdam mid-2027
DENVER and AMSTERDAM, Sept. 15, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ziggo Group, Liberty Global's newly established Benelux connectivity company bringing together its interests in VodafoneZiggo and Telenet, has announced its leadership team as it begins operations and prepares for its intended listing on Euronext Amsterdam in mid-2027.
Stephen van Rooyen, who continues as CEO of VodafoneZiggo, will lead Ziggo Group and John Porter will continue as CEO of Telenet and as Chairman of Wyre.
The leadership teams of Telenet and VodafoneZiggo will remain responsible for their customers, markets, people, culture and performance.
Ahead of the listing Ziggo Group will continue to operate within Liberty Global’s governance framework benefiting from its scale, expertise, capabilities and support, as Ziggo Group builds, integrates and grows its businesses.
Ziggo Group will focus on the areas where working together creates real advantage: becoming a public company, performance management, capital allocation, technology strategy, leadership and talent development, and the creation of scale and efficiency.
Preparations are well underway for the listing including the recently announced sale of VodafoneZiggo’s passive tower assets for €669m. This forms part of Liberty Global’s €1.2-1.4bn of non-core asset disposals which will be used to retire Ziggo Group debt ahead of the spin-off.
The new leadership appointments are (full biographies at the bottom of press release):
- Jany Fruytier (previously announced) - Chief Financial Officer, Ziggo Group and VodafoneZiggo
- Luk Bruynseels - Chief Technology & Information Officer, Ziggo Group and VodafoneZiggo
- Soraya Loerts - Chief People Officer, Ziggo Group
- Henry Harris - Chief Legal Officer, Ziggo Group
- Sanchia Templar - Transformation Director, Ziggo Group
- Sammy van Brakel - Chief of Staff, Ziggo Group and VodafoneZiggo
- Robin Kroes - Deputy CEO, VodafoneZiggo
Together, the Ziggo Group Leadership Team will be responsible for delivering these priorities and supporting long-term value creation, while preserving clear accountability within Telenet and VodafoneZiggo.
Stephen van Rooyen, Chief Executive Officer of Ziggo Group and VodafoneZiggo, said: “As we bring together Telenet and VodafoneZiggo, I am excited to be joined by a talented team with deep experience as we create a stronger platform to serve our customers across Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. We are building on the trusted brands, leading connectivity networks and strong relationships both businesses have established in their markets. Together, we have the scale, expertise and ambition to become the Benelux connectivity champion.”
Ziggo Group Leadership Biographies
Stephen van Rooyen, Chief Executive Officer, Ziggo Group and VodafoneZiggo
Stephen van Rooyen is Chief Executive Officer of Ziggo Group and CEO of VodafoneZiggo. He leads the combined Benelux connectivity business as it prepares for its intended listing in Amsterdam in mid-2027, while continuing in his role as CEO of VodafoneZiggo. Prior to his current role, he spent more than 17 years at Sky, where he served as CEO, UK and Ireland, and CEO of Sky Europe, with oversight of Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy. During his time at Sky he also held senior positions including Chief Marketing, Sales and Digital Officer. Earlier in his career, he held senior roles at Virgin Media, News UK and Accenture in London and Australia.
John Porter, Chief Executive Officer, Telenet and Chairman, Wyre
John Porter is Chief Executive Officer of Telenet since 2013 where he has led the company’s development from a traditional cable operator to a converged telecommunications, media and entertainment provider offering broadband, mobile and TV services. He is a global cable and telecommunications executive whose 44-year career has spanned the United States, Australia and Europe during the industry’s most transformative decades. He began with Group W Cable in Florida, Texas and Alabama before joining Warner Cable in Ohio, where he helped lead operations through cable’s rapid expansion era.
In the mid-1990s, Porter moved to Australia to co-found Austar, building regional pay television into a national platform. Austar was listed publicly in 1999 and later sold to Foxtel in 2012, marking one of the defining transactions in the Australian media market. Porter is a member of the Cable Hall of Fame, recognized for his enduring leadership, entrepreneurial vision and contribution to the global evolution of broadband and media.
Jany Fruytier, Chief Financial Officer, Ziggo Group and VodafoneZiggo
Jany Fruytier is Chief Financial Officer of Ziggo Group, with responsibility for its intended listing in mid-2027 and for its financial strategy, capital allocation and long-term value creation agenda. He also serves as Chief Financial Officer of VodafoneZiggo. Prior to this role, he led the successful 2024 spin-off of Sunrise, Liberty Global’s Swiss telecommunications business, which delivered significant value for shareholders. Throughout his career, Jany has developed extensive finance leadership experience, with a strong track record in business transformation, integration and value creation.
Luk Bruynseels, Chief Technology & Information Officer, Ziggo Group and VodafoneZiggo
Luk Bruynseels leads the technology agenda and teams across Ziggo Group and VodafoneZiggo, with responsibility for technology strategy, architecture, investment, design, execution and operations, while also overseeing Ziggo Tech Services. Luk brings extensive experience in technology and telecommunications, built through a career spanning senior leadership and board roles across the sector. He spent 16 years at Telenet, where he held a range of senior technology leadership positions, including Chief Technology Officer. Most recently, he served as Liberty Global’s Managing Director, Networks & Capital Allocation. He also holds a board position at Wyre, the network infrastructure company in Flanders.
Soraya Loerts, Chief People Officer, Ziggo Group
Soraya Loerts leads Ziggo Group’s People agenda, with responsibility for shaping Ziggo Group leadership, talent development and executive reward, as well as developing shared organizational capabilities. Soraya has broad leadership experience across Commercial, Operations, Technology and HR, bringing deep expertise in leadership, talent and organizational effectiveness and a strong understanding of the VodafoneZiggo, Telenet and Liberty Global ecosystem. Over the past five years as MD, Global Talent & Chief DEI Officer at Liberty Global, she has worked across geographies to develop leaders, identify talent, strengthen organizational capability and build a shared purpose through the Global Belonging agenda.
Henry Harris, Chief Legal Officer, Ziggo Group
Henry Harris leads Ziggo Group’s legal, governance and regulatory agenda, helping to ensure the market conditions are right to deliver the best possible experience for customers. Henry has extensive experience spanning legal, strategy and corporate transactions, most recently serving as Chief Strategy Officer and previously as General Counsel at AtlasEdge. Following more than a decade as a transaction lawyer at a global law firm, Henry was also Managing Director, Legal at Liberty Global, where he played a key role in landmark transactions across the telecommunications, media and infrastructure sectors.
Sanchia Templar, Transformation Director, Ziggo Group
Sanchia Templar leads transformation efforts through our planned spin, helping ensure Ziggo Group is ready for its next phase as a standalone company. Sanchia brings deep telecoms transformation experience, including leadership roles at Orange UK, EE and British Telecom, where she supported the integration of British Telecom and EE. Both at British Telecom and other organisations she has helped drive major strategic and operational change programs on corporate and private equity backed transactions.
Sammy van Brakel, Chief of Staff, Ziggo Group and VodafoneZiggo
Sammy van Brakel leads the Office of the CEO, serving as a strategic partner to the CEO and the Ziggo Group Leadership Team. Sammy has held a number of roles at VodafoneZiggo, including positions in HR and People Management, before moving into transformation and strategic leadership. She also currently serves as Chief of Staff to the VodafoneZiggo CEO, where she plays a key role in the company’s turnaround and transformation.
Robin Kroes, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, VodafoneZiggo
Robin Kroes is Deputy CEO of VodafoneZiggo. He works closely with the CEO on VodafoneZiggo’s priorities and execution of the strategy - driving commercial and operational performance, strengthening cross-functional delivery and supporting alignment with Ziggo Group. Robin has more than 20 years’ experience in telecommunications, giving him a deep understanding of the Dutch market. He has a long history with the business, having held roles at both UPC and Ziggo. He retains his role as CCO at VodafoneZiggo, where he is responsible for the Consumer and Soho businesses.
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 $22 billion, including approximately $18 billion from nonconsolidated joint ventures and $4 billion from consolidated operations.
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 $3.4billion.*
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.
ABOUT ZIGGO GROUP
Ziggo Group is a newly established Benelux champion in connectivity, entertainment and digital services, bringing together Liberty Global's interests in VodafoneZiggo and Telenet.
With 13 million customers and €6.6 billion in revenue, Ziggo Group combines strong national businesses in the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg with greater scale at Group level.
The Group develops the shared strengths in technology, innovation and capital that multiply what each business can achieve on its own. This enables VodafoneZiggo and Telenet to invest more, move faster and grow in their own markets, where they remain fully responsible for their customers, people, culture and performance.
Ziggo Group is preparing for an intended listing on Euronext Amsterdam in mid-2027. Find out more at ziggogroup.com.
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 Global’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 and in Liberty Global’s other filings with the SEC, 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.
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