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CEO of Voda’s enterprise business Nick Jeffery to take over from Jeroen Hoencamp at U.K. ops.
Vodafone and Liberty Global on Tuesday named Vodafone UK chief Jeroen Hoencamp as CEO of their Netherlands joint venture.
Vodafone and Liberty Global – which provides cable broadband and TV services in the Netherlands under the Ziggo brand – agreed to establish the 50:50 venture in February. The deal is currently being reviewed by the European Commission; a decision is due in early August.
Hoencamp will take on the job of CEO of Vodafone Netherlands on 1 September, taking the reins at the JV once the transaction closes.
Ritchy Drost, who is currently CFO of Ziggo, will become CFO of the joint venture.
"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," said a joint statement from Vodafone CEO Vittorio Colao and his opposite number at Liberty Global, Mike Fries.
Ziggo’s current chief executive, Baptiest Coopmans, will stay in his current job until the transaction closes, at which point he will join the joint venture’s board.
"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," Fries said.
In a separate announcement, Vodafone revealed that its enterprise chief Nick Jeffery has been lined up to take over Hoencamp’s role at Vodafone UK. A replacement for Jeffery has yet to be named.
"These appointments will further strengthen our Netherlands and U.K. businesses as our convergence strategy in those markets continues to gather pace," Colao said.
Meanwhile, Vodafone Egypt CEO Ahmed Essam will become CEO of Vodafone’s smaller European markets, which consist of Albania, the Czech Republic, Greece, Ireland, Hungary, Malta, Portugal and Romania. He will also represent Vodafone’s half of the Netherlands joint venture at group level.
Essam will take over from Rob Shuter, who is leaving Vodafone to become CEO of South Africa-based MTN.
"Ahmed has an outstanding track record in one of Vodafone’s most complex and challenging emerging markets businesses as well as in a number of senior commercial roles at group level. I am delighted to welcome him to his new role," Colao said.
