Vonage has a new CEO.
Ericsson has appointed Christophe Van de Weyer as Head of its Global Communications Platform business and CEO of Vonage, effective August 15, 2026.
He replaces Niklas Heuveldop, who will remain available through the end of the year to support the transition. Van de Weyer will also join Ericsson’s Executive Team.
The move puts the executive who has led Vonage’s API business since April 2025 in charge of one of Ericsson’s most closely watched growth bets. And Ericsson is making its expectations clear.
In discussing the news, Börje Ekholm, President and CEO of Ericsson, said:
“Christophe brings a deep understanding of the market for communication services and he has done a great job getting the Business Unit API at Vonage back to growth.”
“I’m happy to welcome him to the Executive Team and to accelerate the turnaround efforts.”
Van de Weyer is inheriting a business that Ericsson says has restored growth following a restructuring and refocusing exercise under Heuveldop.
The task now is to convert that momentum into profitable growth across CPaaS and network APIs, while persuading enterprises that programmable networks can deliver more than a promising technical roadmap.
In his first comments on the appointment, Van de Weyer said:
“Ericsson and Vonage are at the forefront of network-powered solutions combining AI, data, and API to transform enterprise workflows and deliver superior customer engagement.”
“I’m looking forward to continuing our work and further accelerating our growth momentum alongside the exceptionally talented teams at Vonage and Ericsson.”
A CEO with CPaaS, Cloud, and Identity Credentials
Van de Weyer arrived at Vonage with more than 20 years of telecom and technology transformation experience.
Before joining the company, he was CEO of Telesign, the Proximus-owned customer identity and engagement vendor. There, his focus centered on digital trust, fraud prevention, AI, and verification, all areas that are becoming increasingly relevant for businesses automating customer interactions.
He also held senior roles at Proximus, including COO of its B2B division and Managing Director of ICT subsidiaries spanning cloud, security, and smart networking in Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands.
Prior to that, Van de Weyer spent nearly two decades at Bain & Company, including nine years as a partner in the consultancy’s telecom and technology practice.
His experience at Telesign could prove particularly useful as Vonage looks to position APIs as an enabler of better, safer customer journeys.
In an interview from 2024, Van de Weyer warned that customer expectations around security are rising alongside demands for frictionless digital experiences.
“Consumers expect protection and when it fails, it can dramatically harm brand perception and profitability,” he said.
That is a familiar challenge for contact center and CX leaders. As AI agents, messaging channels, and digital self-service take on more customer interactions, enterprises have to reduce friction without creating new opportunities for fraud, account takeover, or poor authentication experiences.
What Happens to Niklas Heuveldop?
Heuveldop leaves after overseeing Vonage’s restructuring and strategic refocus following Ericsson’s $6.2 billion acquisition of the cloud communications provider in 2022.
Ekholm credited him with “significantly strengthening” Vonage’s performance and restoring growth.
Heuveldop was similarly upbeat about the handover – in public at least – stating:
“Vonage’s turn-around continues to gain momentum, growth has been restored, investments peaked and strategy execution is solid.”
“We have an exceptional team ready to continue building on our momentum, and in Christophe we have an incredibly talented and highly appreciated leader that I’m proud to hand over the reins to.”
For Vonage, the change is more evolution than sharp turn. Van de Weyer has already been running the API unit, and his promotion suggests Ericsson wants faster execution on the network API strategy rather than another reset.
