Roel De Vries to succeed Arthur de Bok as CEO of Stage Entertainment
AMSTERDAM, March 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Today, Stage Entertainment announced the appointment of Roel De Vries as the next CEO of the Company, effective 1 May, 2026. Roel assumes the role from Arthur de Bok who is stepping down as CEO after nine years of exemplary leadership.
Roel joins the Company from City Football Group (CFG) where he served as Group Chief Operating Officer overseeing CFG’s evolution from a football-centric entity to a diversified entertainment and hospitality business, building commercial capabilities and driving revenue growth through strategic investments.
Roel also brings over 25 years of experience at Nissan Motor Corporation where he held senior leadership positions in Europe, Asia and Africa focused on brand development, country management and increasing operational excellence. Key among his accomplishments was serving as global Chief Marketing Officer where he used his creativity, innovative partnerships in sport and entertainment and strong product management to significantly improve Nissan’s brand value. Throughout his career, Roel has been driven by a passion for delivering exemplary customer-centered experiences while upholding the highest management standards.
Supervisory Board member, Janine McGrath Shelffo, commented, “We are thrilled to have Roel join Stage Entertainment to lead the next chapter of the company’s growth. His specific experience and unique combination of strategic vision, customer-centricity and operational rigor align perfectly with the many exciting opportunities we see ahead for Stage.” She continued, “We are confident that Roel will build on the strong foundation Arthur’s thoughtful leadership established for Stage as the premier provider of musical theatre in Europe and a trusted partner with unparalleled creative capabilities to its IP partners.”
“I have been incredibly proud to work for organizations with strong brands and compelling customer propositions, said Roel. “Stage Entertainment shares these attributes and I am pleased to have the opportunity to build on Stage’s excellence by delivering exceptional live experiences for our audiences, and creative and commercial excellence for our partners.”
Arthur will support Roel as an advisor through the end of the year to ensure a smooth transition.
Arthur said, “I have had the privilege to lead this great company through many phases. We have accomplished a lot together from the transformation of the company during 2017 and 2018, to the beginning of our partnership with Advance, navigating the Covid crisis and finding a path toward record performance afterward. As a result, Stage Entertainment is in a strong position and it’s a good moment to hand over leadership and shift my focus to pursuing other personal and professional interests.” He continued, “I want to thank Advance, our partners, friends and the wonderful people at Stage Entertainment.”
Supervisory board member Michael Newhouse commented, “Arthur has been an excellent leader of this Company through some significant milestone achievements. On behalf of the Supervisory Board and Advance, I want to thank Arthur for his deep commitment to building a strong company and culture at Stage Entertainment as well as working together with our partners to delight and inspire audiences around Europe, on the West End and Broadway.”
About Stage Entertainment
Stage Entertainment is a leading global theatre production company focused on producing musicals in Europe. The company owns and operates a network of sixteen theatres in its home markets of the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, France and Italy. It also has offices in these countries and in the United Kingdom. Here it produces some of the best-known musical titles developed by international partners and their creative teams, such as Disney’s The Lion King, Disney Frozen, Moulin Rouge! The Musical and MJ The Musical. Stage Entertainment also creates original premium content of its own, such as Anastasia and TINA – The Tina Turner Musical, with which it operates worldwide as a licensor or with its own theatre tours in countries including the United Kingdom, the United States, Latin America, Australia and Japan. The company employs about 2,000 people. Stage Entertainment has been wholly owned by Advance since 2018.
For further information, please contact:
Corporate Communications | Arnold Drijver
E: arnold.drijver@stage-entertainment.com
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SOURCE Stage Entertainment
