Roel De Vries Announced as CEO of Stage Entertainment

Stage Entertainment has announced the appointment of Roel de Vries as the company’s next Chief Executive Officer, effective May 1, 2026. De Vries succeeds Arthur de Bok, who will step down after nine years in the role.

De Vries joins Stage Entertainment from City Football Group, where he served as Group Chief Operating Officer. In that role, he oversaw the organization’s expansion from a football-focused entity into a broader entertainment and hospitality business while developing commercial capabilities and driving revenue growth through strategic investments.

He also brings more than 25 years of experience at Nissan Motor Corporation, where he held senior leadership roles across Europe, Asia, and Africa. Among his positions at Nissan was Global Chief Marketing Officer, where he led brand development initiatives, created partnerships in sport and entertainment, and focused on product management and brand growth.

Supervisory Board member Janine McGrath Shelffo said, “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.”

De Vries said, “I have been incredibly proud to work for organizations with strong brands and compelling customer propositions. 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 de Bok will remain involved with the company as an advisor through the end of the year to support the leadership transition.

Reflecting on his tenure, de Bok 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. I want to thank Advance, our partners, friends and the wonderful people at Stage Entertainment.”

Supervisory Board member Michael Newhouse added, “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 produces musicals across Europe and owns and operates a network of sixteen theatres in the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, France, and Italy. The company also maintains offices in those countries as well as in the United Kingdom.

Its productions include titles developed with international partners such as Disney’s The Lion King, Frozen, Moulin Rouge! The Musical, and MJ The Musical. The company also develops original productions including Anastasia and TINA – The Tina Turner Musical, which have toured internationally and been licensed for productions around the world.

Stage Entertainment employs approximately 2,000 people and has been wholly owned by Advance since 2018.