Company Director – Tullis Matson

Meet Our Director Tullis Matson:

Driving Innovation In Animal Breeding and Beyond

As Company Director at Gemini Genetics as well as Managing Director of sister companies, Stallion AI Services and Elite Kennel Fertility, Tullis Matson plays a pivotal role in pushing the boundaries of what is possible in advanced breeding technologies. He also serves as Founder & Chair of Nature’s SAFE, where his passion for conservation of endangered species is driving constant innovation. And when he is not busy with all the work he does for these companies, you can usually find Tullis enjoying his favourite hobby, skydiving!

Tullis brings decades of experience to the table, combining deep industry knowledge with a forward-thinking approach. At Gemini Genetics, he oversees a team that is dedicated to refining and applying cutting edge cloning technologies to provide pet and equine owners with the best service possible from start to finish. In his role at Stallion AI Services, Tullis is at the forefront of integrating equine assisted reproduction with traditional breeding expertise. This synergy of technology and tradition has not only enhanced performance evaluation but has also set a benchmark for innovation in the equine breeding industry. At Elite Kennel Fertility, Tullis’s insights have been equally instrumental in driving progress in canine assisted reproductive techniques, truly demonstrating his versatility and commitment to excellence across different species and industries.

Where His Career Started?

Tullis Matson started his career as a jockey, working as Assistant Trainer to Phillip Hobbs racing stables. In 1990, Tullis returned home to run his family’s sport horse stud, known as Twemlows Hall Stud Farm. Three years later, Tullis travelled to New Zealand to learn a new field of equine assisted reproduction, spending 3 years in training across 17 different stud farms. In 1996, Tullis returned to the UK & established Stallion AI Services – the UK’s first equine semen collection centre to facilitate equine assisted reproduction. Since the establishment of Stallion AI Services, Tullis has assisted in the breeding of some of the world’s greatest performance horses as well as supporting the conservation of rare and native breeds of horse. It is through the work with native breeds, that Gemini Genetics was established in 2018, to assist with the conservation of rare breed horses via skin sample preservation, before later diversifying services to across the pet & performance horse sector for domestic animal cloning.

Beyond his many director roles, Tullis is also the Founder & Chair of Nature’s SAFE. In this charity whose mission is very close to his heart, he champions environmental conservation and supports animal welfare initiatives. The charity is a wildlife biobank that preserves live cell lines and tissues from hundred of endangered species, joining the core belief in our stewardship of our natural world with incredible scientific advancements.

Tullis’s experience and knowledge of these industries has been recognised by many institutions, first in 2011 when he was awarded the Marsh Christian Award for Conservation in Genetic Biodiversity for his contributions to the field of equine semen freezing, enabling progress in conserving semen from many rare breeds. In 2019, Tullis was awarded the Fellowship of the Royal Agricultural Services (FRAgS) as a celebration of his work in the agricultural field. In 2020, Tullis and Stallion AI Services worked alongside Nottingham Trent University and the Rare Breeds Survival Trust to breed the first ever Suffolk Punch foal born from sexed semen. Following this ground-breaking achievement, Tullis Matson received an honorary doctorate in technology from Nottingham Trent University. The same year, he accepted the appointment to Deputy Lieutenant of Shropshire, a role in which he supports the work of the Lord-Lieutenant of Shropshire.

Most importantly, Tullis is the proud owner of Gemini Genetic’s mascot, Gem the cloned dog. She is a cocker spaniel who is identical to her original and is a happy and healthy little dog who loves going on runs with Tullis. Pictured above at the top of Snowdon, they are quite the adventurous pair!

In his latest work, Tullis is co-founder of The UK National Livestock Biobank, a sister organisation to Gemini Genetics, established to ensure UK livestock preservation & national food security.

For more information about our services at Gemini Genetics please see our pet cloning pages: Horse Cloning / Cat Cloning / Dog Cloning

For emergency sample taking information please see our Emergency page.

If you have any questions, please contact us via email at info@geminigenetics.com or via telephone at 01948 668 057 / 07710 778 016