Matthew Holt Named CEO of British Amateur Boxing Association

Matthew Holt has been appointed Chief Executive (CEO) of the British Amateur Boxing Association (BABA), which runs the Performance Programme for Olympic boxing.

He was previously the Programme Director at the BABA and took-up the new role on 1 April 2013. He will report to the Board of the BABA and be responsible for the leadership of the organisation and the overall management of the World Class Performance Programme (WCPP) for boxing.

Holt will work closely with the BABA’s Performance Director, Rob McCracken, to provide the best possible performance environment for the boxers in the Podium and Podium Potential squads and create a structure which enables Great Britain’s most talented boxers to be identified and succeed on the international stage.

He will also be responsible for the administration of the WCPP, the financial management of the BABA and relationships with commercial partners and key stakeholders including, the British Olympic Association (BOA), UK Sport (which funds elite sport in Great Britain) and the amateur boxing associations (ABAs) of England, Scotland and Wales.

“Following an increase in funding from UK Sport, the World Class Programme for boxing is expanding for the Rio Cycle and the Board felt it was the right time to appoint a CEO to oversee all aspects of the organisation,” explained Derek Mapp, Chairman of the Board of the BABA.

“Matthew has a superb track record of delivery in high performance sport and this made him the outstanding candidate for the new role. He has been an integral part of the organisation’s success over the last four years and has the vision, skills and capabilities to take the BABA on to the next level as it looks to build on the fantastic achievements of the boxers and the World Class Programme in the build-up to and at the London 2012 Olympics.”

Holt said: The GB Boxing team performed outstandingly at London 2012 to finish as the leading nation and we have a great challenge ahead of us to sustain that level of performance in the future. We have an outstanding team of coaches and support staff, led by Rob McCracken, and the ambition is to retain our position as a leading boxing nation and continue to deliver a world class programme that enables our boxers to fulfil their best potential.”

Matthew Holt joined the BABA in May 2009 as the Programme Director with responsibility for all aspects of the administration of the WCPP for boxing. He was also the Team Manager for boxing at the men’s European Championships in 2010 and 2011, the men and women’s World Championships in 2011 and 2012 and the London 2012 Olympic Games.