Roel De Vries Named CEO of Stage Entertainment

Roel De Vries has been named the next CEO of Stage Entertainment, effective May 1. He will assume the role from Arthur de Bok, who is stepping down as CEO after nine years. De Bok will support De Vries as an advisor through the end of the year to ensure a smooth transition.

DeVries, who joins the company from City Football Group—where he served as group chief operating officer, overseeing CFG’s evolution from a football-centric entity to a diversified entertainment and hospitality business—also brings over 25 years of experience at Nissan Motor Corporation, where he held senior leadership positions in Europe, Asia, and Africa.

Supervisory Board member Janine McGrath Shelffo said in a statement, “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. 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, added De Vries. “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." 

De Bok stated, “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. 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.” 

Stage Entertainment is a leading global theatre production company focused on producing musicals in Europe. The company owns and operates a network of 16 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, producing Disney's The Lion King, Disney's 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.