Manchester, UK / Working wherever the problem is
Forward Deployed Engineer & technology leader
I turn ambitious ideas and unclear requirements into technology that ships.
I work with executives, founders and engineering teams to find the way forward—and build it. From cloud infrastructure and agentic AI to mobile and web.
Executive perspective. Hands-on engineering. Ownership through delivery.
Selected engineering
& leadership experience
01 / Selected work
Broadcast media. Regulated finance. AI products.
A selection of the systems I have helped bring to life.
Agentic AI · Founder product
I shaped the product and built the platform end to end: a shared business knowledge base, agent workflows, MCP access and a review inbox that keeps people in control.
Delivered: a working platform, from cloud to interface
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From prototype to public launch
Technical lead for Watch Together on Sky Glass. I took a prototype through production hardening and launch, bringing live TV, video calling and synchronised viewing into one experience.
Delivered: a launched, real-time TV product
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Regulated finance · International markets
As principal engineer, I lead the migration of a global finance app from .NET MAUI to React Native, aligning architecture, security and a multidisciplinary delivery team.
In progress: platform modernisation across live markets
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Mobile engineering · Public launch
I led Android development through the first BBC Sport app launch: architecture, implementation and release quality for a high-profile public product.
Delivered: the first BBC Sport Android app
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Agentic AI platform · Fractional CTO
As fractional CTO I owned product strategy and engineering delivery for an agentic AI platform that connects to Xero and turns financial data into recommendations and next steps for business owners.
Delivered: working AI features and a product roadmap with non-technical founders
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Insurance product · Video and AR
For an insurance claims product I delivered live video calling with built-in AR markup and measurement on iOS and Android, so assessors can guide customers remotely and capture validated evidence.
Delivered: iOS and Android apps in production for claims teams
Explore the caseFounder products, client delivery, research and innovation. Open any project for my role, the work and supporting material.
02 / How I can help
You do not need a perfect specification.
You need a clear outcome and someone to own the work.
An important ambition. An unclear brief.
I work with founders and senior leaders to get to the real problem, make the trade-offs clear and turn the opportunity into a practical delivery plan.
Problem framing · Technical options · Prototype · Prioritised roadmap
Discuss your ideaA difficult build. A prototype that needs to ship.
I embed with your team, own the technical path and build alongside you. Agentic AI, integrations, cloud infrastructure, mobile or web: whatever the solution needs.
Architecture · Hands-on engineering · Evaluation · Launch & handover
Discuss your delivery challengeA team that needs direction and momentum.
Senior technical judgment with the ability to implement it. I connect executive priorities to engineering decisions, support your people and take responsibility for moving the work forward.
Technology strategy · Team guidance · Technical decisions · Delivery oversight
Discuss technical leadershipDiscovery and pilots · Embedded delivery · Fractional leadership · The right permanent role
03 / The way I work
I stay close to the business problem and the engineering detail, from the first conversation through to delivery.
Start with the business outcome and the people doing the work. Turn assumptions, constraints and vague requirements into a shared definition of success.
Use rapid prototyping to tackle the biggest uncertainty. Test it with real users, data and constraints so the next decision is grounded in evidence.
Architect, integrate and engineer for production. For AI, that includes evaluations, observability and human approval where the consequences matter.
Get the solution into people’s hands. Leave your team with the code, documentation and understanding to operate it, then use feedback to improve it.
04 / The person behind the work
I’m Matthew. An engineer, architect and founder who likes making difficult things work.
I connect the conversation about what a business needs with the decisions—and the code—that make it happen. That means helping senior leaders choose a direction, working alongside engineers, and staying involved when the hard problems appear.
My experience crosses media, finance, sport and healthcare, alongside products I have founded myself. From specialist tools to public platforms, the discipline is the same: understand the problem, build the right thing and get it delivered.
My professional backgroundPhD in multi-user virtual environments. Founder of Wattl AI and Manchester AI.
Explore the researchFractional CTO at MagnifyB, an agentic AI platform that turns Xero financial data into actions for business owners.
See MagnifyBFor Eviid, an insurance claims product, I delivered live video calling with built-in AR markup and measurement on iOS and Android.
See Eviid05 / A few practical questions
Forward Deployed Engineering, AI consulting and technical leadership in Manchester, across the UK and remotely.
A Forward Deployed Engineer works close to the customer and the problem, taking responsibility from discovery through implementation and rollout. In my work, that means translating executive priorities into technical decisions, writing the code, integrating with existing systems and helping the team put the result to use.
Yes. Start with the problem, the outcome you need and what is getting in the way. I can help define the scope, assess the options and build a focused prototype before committing to a larger delivery plan.
I am based in Manchester and work on site across the UK and remotely with teams elsewhere. My AI consulting covers AI innovation, opportunity discovery, agentic AI workflows, integration and the engineering needed to move from a prototype into production.
Yes. I can advise founders and executives on technology strategy while working with engineers on architecture, implementation and delivery. We agree the balance of leadership and hands-on work around what your team needs.
No. My experience spans media, financial services, sport, healthcare and independent products, from specialist applications to large public audiences. I work across cloud infrastructure, mobile and web as well as AI, and choose the technology around the problem.
Send me a short outline of the challenge, the outcome you want and any deadline or constraint. We can establish whether you need advice, a discovery or pilot project, embedded delivery or ongoing technical leadership, then agree the scope and working arrangement. Contract, fractional and the right permanent role are all open for discussion.
Let’s make it happen
An ambitious idea. A difficult build. A team that needs direction.
Tell me where you are and where you need to get to.
Opens an email to me. No polished brief required.
A useful starting point
Manchester, UK · On site across the UK · Remote worldwide