Liberty Global Names Rocío Lorenzo Telenet CEO Effective November 2, 2026, Succeeding John Porter

Benzinga · 2d ago
  • Longstanding CEO, John Porter, to step down after more than 30 years with Liberty Global and 13 years leading Telenet
  • Rocío Lorenzo to become CEO on November 2nd, 2026

Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LBTYA, NASDAQ:LBTYB, NASDAQ:LBTYK)) today announced leadership changes at its newly-formed Ziggo Group operating subsidiary in the Benelux region. After more than 30 years with Liberty, including 13 years in Belgium, John Porter has decided to step down from the CEO role at Telenet.

John joined Liberty Global in 1994 to help build its Australian start-up business, AUSTAR, where he ultimately became CEO and led the company from 1999 to 2012. AUSTAR was sold to Foxtel in 2012 after which John became CEO of Telenet. Over the past 13 years, he and his team have transformed Telenet from a traditional Flemish cable operator into one of Belgium’s leading data-driven, digital-first telecoms, media and entertainment businesses. Strategic milestones included the acquisition of BASE, the creation of Play Media and the launch of the network infrastructure company Wyre. He was inducted into the Cable Hall of Fame in 2022 in recognition of his contributions to the industry, and will remain as an advisor to Telenet through year-end and Chairman of Wyre.

Incoming Telenet CEO Rocío Lorenzo is currently Senior Vice President of Liberty Latin America and Executive President and General Manager of Cable and Wireless Panama. She will join Telenet on November 2nd 2026 and report directly to Stephen van Rooyen, CEO of Ziggo Group.

Rocío brings two decades of leadership experience across the telecommunications, technology and consumer sectors. She has served as Senior Vice President of Liberty Latin America (LLA) since 2021 and as Executive President and General Manager of Cable & Wireless Panama since January 2024. LLA operates leading communications businesses in 20 markets across Latin America and the Caribbean with annualized revenue of $4.4bn. Under Rocío’s leadership Cable & Wireless Panama has grown its customer base by double digits and significantly increased operating free cash flow, while investing in 5G, fiber, digital and AI capabilities.

Prior to joining Liberty, Rocío led Boston Consulting Group’s Telecommunications Practice, where she was Managing Director and Senior Partner. During that time she worked alongside John Porter on several of Telenet’s most strategic initiatives, including the acquisition of the mobile network BASE in 2016.