He began his finance career with JCT600 – the 12th largest car dealership in the UK – where he worked his way up from credit control to become the group’s accountant. He then moved to a printing consumables firm in Bradford, before joining aerospace specialist Wesco Aircraft, based in Huddersfield. During his 12 years as financial controller of this technical brand, he supported the finance director with the significant growth of this $200m US-owned company.
Commenting on what attracted him to this new role, Matthew said: “Having begun life 10 years ago as a fast-paced entrepreneurial brand, Cranford has now grown to become a truly established name in the highly-technical cloud, DevOps and IT resourcing space. The company remains extremely progressive but with a new layer of financial robustness. And, with significant growth on the horizon, it is my job to ensure the finance department meets the needs of the business as it continues to evolve.
“This is an exciting opportunity for me to use my skills in a new field. I know that a deeper level of reporting, analysis and benchmarking can help shape the future of Cranford over the next 10 years and beyond.”
But the move to Cranford’s senior leadership team doesn’t just signify the next chapter of Matthew’s career – it also marks his introduction into the family business.
CEO David Bentley – Matthew’s brother-in-law – explained: “Trusting relationships are very important to us as an organisation, and we pride ourselves on having a close-knit, family-focused team. This is one of the primary reasons I approached Matthew to become our finance director – he has all of the credentials we need, plus I’ve known him for 25 years!”
He is already making his mark on the company, David added: “We are currently going through a period of rapid expansion, with more plans and news to share as the year progresses. Matthew has further strengthened our leadership team and his appointment reflects how integral finance is to our strategic vision. He will challenge the board, help identify new opportunities, and manage all operational compliance matters that will bolster our strength as a ‘growth-ready’ organisation.
“I’m delighted to welcome him to Cranford Group in the month we celebrate a decade in business.”
Cranford Group provides assured resource, solutions and work packages for clients within the technology sector and counts World Wide Technology, Vodafone, Deloitte, NHS Digital and many other leading organisations as customers.