Biography
After an illustrious career in rowing during which Matthew was able to fulfil all his ambitions, he has turned his hand to journalism and broadcasting.
Currently working as a journalist and broadcaster with the BBC, Matthew is covering a wide range of sports from football to horse-racing, from rugby to ice skating.
Matthew is an extremely authoritative and accomplished motivational and after dinner speaker.
His speeches are always tailored to the client’s brief and audience’s requirements with special emphasis on teamwork, motivation and communication. His description of the dynamics of teamwork in a rowing crew are outstanding and mirror those that businesses aspire to achieve.
Matthew has spoken at corporate events for companies such as Camelot, Marks and Spencer, Procter & Gamble, IBM, Lombard, BT, NatWest, RBS to name a few.
Matthew’s keynote talks are hugely insightful and motivating. He shares the team spirit and drivers of excellence required in order to achieve success. Matthew is one of only 5 athletes to win 4 consecutive Gold medals. He is an outstanding speaker taking his audience on a journey with respect to the sacrifices and dedication necessary to achieve. He is one of the UK’s most decorated athletes and experienced broadcasters.
An Oxford Geography graduate, Matthew made the move from his position as president of the Oxford Rowing Club, into a Coxless Pair with Sir Steve Redgrave – and an auspicious start to his professional career – a gold medal at the Barcelona Olympics, which was the culmination of an unbeaten international season.
The duo sustained their extraordinary performance levels at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996 with another Gold medal, and throughout that decade, they produced seven World Championship wins.
For the Sydney Olympics, Matthew and Steve joined up with James Cracknell and Tim Foster, to win yet another gold medal, in a race which has become known as one of Britain’s greatest sporting moments, and made the team members household names.
His record-breaking coxless pairs partnership with James Cracknell was one of the nation’s best sporting moments of all time.
At the Athens Olympics Matthew won 4 consecutive Gold medals – and earned a well-deserved place in Olympic history. In one of the most memorable moments of sporting legend, he led the Great Britain coxless four to victory with an eight one hundredths of a second lead over the Canadian World Champions.
Awarded an MBE in 1993, a CBE in 2001 and a Knighthood in 2005, Matthew has authored the best-seller A Lifetime in a Race and is a sporting pundit for BBC News 24.