Liberty Global’s Chief Commercial Officer Diederik Karsten is to leave the cable and broadband operator after the completion of a number of M&A transactions.
Karsten had held a number of senior leadership roles with Liberty Global since 2004, including Managing Director of the company’s Netherlands cable business; EVP, European Broadband Operations.
“I want to thank Diederik for his years of service to Liberty Global,” said Mike Fries, CEO, Liberty Global. “He has been a loyal and valuable member of my senior leadership team and, as Chief Commercial Officer, has helped to ensure that our local operating companies have world class expertise in customer relations and marketing. Our plan is to continue this evolution, bringing key capabilities closer to our customers.”
Liberty Global has signalled this as just the first step in a broader reorganisation program that’s designed to decrease management layers and increase efficiency across both central and local operations.
Such moves were enevitable following the completion of the transaction with Vodafone for the sale of its businesses in Germany, Hungary, Romania and the Czech Republic.
There will also be new designated leaders in Liberty Global’s Technology and Innovation Division named by Enrique Rodriguez in an email to staff
Baptiest Coopmans, SVP Technology Operations; Aarne Aho, GDO & Central IT; Colin Buechner, Network & Shared Operations; Dan Hennessy, Technology; Rob Evans, Lightning; Mark Giesbers, Products; Bob Greene, Product Partnerships and Sigrid van den Houte, Consumer.
In addition, to simplify the support in each of Liberty Global’s large operating companies and bring T&I closer to the local growth priorities, a new Chief Technology & Information Officer (CTIO) role is being created in the UK and Ireland, Switzerland and Poland & Slovakia.
In other changes, Jeanie York, currently MD for Core Networks & Operations at Liberty Global, is appointed to the role of CTIO for Virgin Media.
Alexander Lorenz, currently MD Technology Integration & Operations at Virgin Media, becomes CTIO for UPC Switzerland.
Monika Nowak-Toporowicz, currently Vice President Access Networks Programs within global T&I and Vice President Integration & Operations for Poland, is appointed to the role of CTIO for UPC Poland and Slovakia.
Micha Berger continues in his current role as CTO Telenet and MD, Mobile Network and Operations, jointly reporting to John Porter and Enrique Rodriguez.
