At Marsh Finance, we love celebrating the brilliant people who help keep things running behind the scenes. Matthew, one of our Payouts Coordinators, is a great example of the passion and personality that make Marsh such a special place to work.
We sat down with him for a quick chat about life at Marsh Finance, vintage cars, canal restoration (yes, really!), and why his shed is officially out of bounds…
So, Matthew… tell us a bit about your background before joining Marsh Finance?
“Well, I actually spent three years working in vehicle finance before coming to Marsh, so I knew the industry pretty well already. But I’ve not had a totally typical path. I’ve also got a degree in independent film and have done some self-employed work making adverts for a while, too. These days, I mostly use my film skills for fun, though. Turns out I quite like finance!”
Outside of work, Matthew’s been rolling up his sleeves for years helping restore the Manchester, Bolton and Bury canal, something he’s been doing since the age of 17. “It’s a big passion of mine,” he says. “Waterway restoration doesn’t get a lot of attention, but it’s so important for our heritage and local communities.”
“The people and the atmosphere, without a doubt. Everyone has been so kind and welcoming. The work structure is spot on, and it just feels like a really warm, positive environment. And the building, oh wow. It’s stunning. I absolutely adore it here.”
Safe to say, it’s a bit different to his spider-infested shed (more on that shortly)...
What do you get up to outside of work?
“Bit of everything, really!” Matthew laughs. “I’ve got a classic car, a real beauty, that I use as my daily driver. Her name’s Jean, after my late grandma, Jean Beebe. She used to have the same car, so it felt right.”
But his love of restoring old things doesn’t stop with cars. “I’m doing up a 1959 house at the moment, bringing back all the original features; the doors, the staircase, even the fireplaces. I just really enjoy breathing life back into things that might otherwise be forgotten.”
And of course, there’s the canal restoration work, which continues to be a big part of his life.
Right then, important stuff… favourite food?
“Oh, I’m a big foodie, so that’s a hard one. I think it’s a tie between a really good lasagna and a really good ramen. It totally depends on the mood, but both hit the spot.”
Got any fears?
“Spiders. Absolutely not. I’ve not been in my shed in three years. They’ve claimed it now. It’s theirs. I’m not arguing.”
If you could have dinner with three people, dead or alive, who would you choose?
“I’d love to sit down with Richard Trevithick, Isambard Kingdom Brunel and Robert Stephenson, all legends of the industrial revolution. I’m fascinated by historical engineering, and it’d be incredible to hear their stories firsthand.”
(We reckon they'd love Jean the classic car, too.)
And finally… anything else we should know?
“Loads of random things! I’ve got two cats, Dawn and Lena, and a puppy called Blue. During lockdown, I got bored and decided to become a qualified welder. Why not? And here’s a cool bit of family history: my grandfather was one of the very first railway preservationists. He helped save the steam locomotive Bahamas.”
At Marsh Finance, we’re lucky to have passionate, hands-on people like Matthew. Whether he’s helping customers with their finance journeys or reviving pieces of history in his spare time, he brings real energy, knowledge, and kindness to everything he does.
(Just don’t ask him to go in the shed.)
Want to join a team full of passionate, down-to-earth people like Matthew?
Check out our live vacancies at Marsh Finance and see where your next career move could take you!