Argo Blockchain announced on February 9, 2023, that Peter Wall was stepping down as chief executive officer and interim chairman "to pursue other opportunities," three years after he took the role1. The company named chief operating officer Seif El-Bakly interim CEO the same day, and Matthew Shaw took over as chairman of the board.
Four of Argo Blockchain's 14 leadership moves on the record came in 2023, its busiest year
Leadership moves CryptoLately has verified at Argo Blockchain, by year
- 2023: 4
- 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024, 2025
Moves: The Moves Ledger, CryptoLately's record of verified leadership moves, Oct. 3, 2016 to Oct. 2, 2026.
Read the chart as a table
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 3 |
| 2021 | 2 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 4 |
| 2024 | 1 |
| 2025 | 3 |
11 CEO exits on the record in 2023
CEO exits CryptoLately has verified, by year; 2026 through Oct. 2, 2026
- 2023: 11
- 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024, 2025, 2026
Moves: The Moves Ledger, CryptoLately's record of verified leadership moves, Oct. 3, 2016 to Oct. 2, 2026.
Read the chart as a table
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 7 |
| 2020 | 9 |
| 2021 | 5 |
| 2022 | 18 |
| 2023 | 11 |
| 2024 | 20 |
| 2025 | 20 |
| 2026 | 18 |
The move
Argo's press release said Wall would stay on as an advisor for three months "to support the transition"1. Shaw credited him with building “a strong foundation for Argo which is a confident organisation full of talented people, aligned behind a clear strategy and focused on delivering profitable growth and market share gains”. Wall's own statement in the release read in part, “It has been a great privilege to have led Argo Blockchain over the past three years. It has been quite a journey, and we have come a long way. I am pleased to have recently led the successful Galaxy deal”.
CryptoSlate reported on February 9, 2023 that Argo “will start the search for a permanent CEO as Peter Wall steps down from his role”2. The outlet's own framing of Wall's departure matched the company's: Wall "said he was leaving to explore other opportunities".
Argo before and after
Wall's exit followed a deal with Galaxy Digital that kept Argo running after a difficult 2022. The February 9 release pointed to "the successful Galaxy deal" as one of his final acts as CEO1. El-Bakly, promoted from chief operating officer, ran the company as interim chief executive from that day forward, with an open-ended timeline for the role.
The board lost another director on February 9, 2023. Sarah Gow, a director outside management, stepped down for health reasons, and the company thanked her for her service since July 20211.
What came next
El-Bakly's interim tenure ran from February through November 2023. Argo's own December 2023 operational update named Thomas Chippas as chief executive by that point3. TheEnergyMag's January 2025 report on Chippas's own departure confirmed he "joined Argo in November 2023"4. That places his arrival right where El-Bakly's interim run ended. Argo saw four more changes at the top in the two years after Wall left: El-Bakly on an interim basis, Chippas from November 2023, and two further changes by early 2025.
Sources
- Argo Blockchain plc, "Change in Executive Management and Board Resignation," press release, Feb. 9, 2023, https://www.argoblockchain.com/news-room/2023-february-ceo-resignation
- Christian Nwobodo, "Argo Blockchain CEO, Interim Chairman Peter Wall steps down," CryptoSlate, Feb. 9, 2023, https://cryptoslate.com/argo-blockchain-ceo-interim-chairman-peter-wall-steps-down/
- Argo Blockchain plc, "December Operational Update," press release, Jan. 8, 2024, https://www.argoblockchain.com/news-room/2024-january-december-operational-update
- Wolfie Zhao, "Bitcoin Miner Argo's CEO Thomas Chippas Steps Down," TheEnergyMag, Jan. 21, 2025, https://theminermag.com/news/2025-01-21/bitcoin-miner-argo-ceo-step-down