11th November 2021

Matt Archibald’s four-year tenure as GB Taekwondo’s Chief Executive Officer is coming to an end.

Archibald, 44, has accepted a new role as chief executive with the English Institute of Sport, taking up his position in February 2022.

Since taking up his post at Manchester-based GB Taekwondo in 2017, Archibald and Performance Director Gary Hall have presided over the sport’s most successful cycle, culminating with a total of five medals from this summer’s Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The 2019 World Championships, hosted in Manchester, also brought kudos to the organisation. Bradly Sinden became Britain’s first able-bodied male world titleholder while Jade Jones and Bianca Walkden also struck gold.

Additionally, Matt Bush won Para Taekwondo World gold while Beth Munro and Amy Truesdale won Britain’s first ever Paralympic Games Taekwondo medals.

Alongside the team’s consistent medal-winning results at major championships, the organisation has seen sector-leading Culture Health Check survey results every year since the independent surveys were introduced by UK Sport in 2017.

Julia Newton, GB Taekwondo’s Chair said: “Matt has been an outstanding CEO and we are very sad to be losing him. He leaves us in excellent shape.

“Matt is a motivating leader with a first-class strategic brain and a man of great integrity.  Our loss is most certainly EIS’s gain.

“On behalf of the Board and the whole team at GB Taekwondo I’d like to say a huge thank you to Matt for the wonderful job he has done.  We all wish him the greatest success in his new role and are delighted that we will remain colleagues and partners into the future.”

Archibald responded by saying “I have very much enjoyed my time at GB Taekwondo. I am grateful to my colleagues and the athletes who I know are poised for another exciting and successful cycle.

“I’ve learnt so much in my four years and I’ve been very lucky to have such a supportive and talented Board.  I’m looking forward to making my final three months in post the best three months.

“We have a lot of exciting plans and activities coming to fruition as we seek to build from the success of Tokyo.

“I’d like to say a special thank you, firstly to our incredible team of athletes and staff who have inspired me every time I walk in the door at the National Taekwondo Centre.  And secondly, to our Chair, Julia Newton, and Performance Director, Gary Hall, they have been outstanding colleagues through thick and thin.

“I’m reassured that, in my new role at the EIS, I’ll still get to work with the GB Taekwondo team alongside all the other great sports that make up the rich network of British high-performance sport.”

On his pending appointment to the EIS Archibald added: “I have worked closely with colleagues and teams at the EIS over a number of years.

“The EIS is moving into an exciting new period, supported by a collaborative new strategy which will bring a new challenge for me.”

Archibald succeeds former EIS National Director Nigel Walker, who stepped down from the position earlier this year following more than 10 years in post.