Confidas is committed to offering a first class service that meets the needs of both insurance advisers, and clients alike. You can count on our dedicated, professional and friendly team to respond quickly to your queries and requests.
Here’s who we are:
Matthew Martin
Head of Operations
Working with Smith Greenfield and now Confidas since 2002, Matthew has a distinguished career in insurance. After studying geology at Kingston Polytechnic, he decided Insurance was a better career prospect and went to work for the Prudential as a field agent. He later went on to specialise in Private Client, Antique Dealer, Auctioneer and Fine Art Collection insurance with Needham Johnson & Company.
Matthew has a great knack for problem solving and is known professionally for managing change. Matthew has an aversion to mobile phones and rarely uses one. In fact at weekends, to get away from it all, he enjoys walking in the great outdoors. The Cumbrian Fells are a firm favourite, but Surrey Hills are the most frequent substitute. When stuck indoors, you’ll find Matthew reading about or watching Formula 1.
His favourite quote is: “When you’re going through hell, keep going,” by Winston Churchill. It’s a great reminder to never, ever give up.
Paul Birch
Head of Confidas
Paul has held various underwriting and broking roles since he began his insurance career as a trainee with Commercial Union in their marine department. After positions in claims and London Market operations, Paul opted to focus on UK Marine underwriting. Apart from a 2 year hiatus writing bank and building society block schemes, commercial marine remained the centre of his 10 years at CU when their merger with General Accident gave him his first opportunity to travel.
Returning to insurance after 8 months travelling around South America he took a role with Devitt, part of the RBS Insurance empire, developing their personal lines business. Then the allure of marine came calling again, this time in the guise of Yacht business. Paul spent 6 years working at Amlin as Marketing and Business Development Manager in their Yacht department. Once again the chance to travel arose, this time a full investigation of the world, visiting 29 countries in 365 days and learning “two beers please” in 26 languages!
Paul once again returned to insurance – while we never understand how we get into insurance, we never seem to leave! Firstly he headed up underwriting at underwriting agency Velos, and then moved to Managing Director of Bishop Skinner Marine (part of Marsh Commercial) where he also took on responsibility of managing personal lines insurer relationships and first became aware of Confidas. When the role of Head of Underwriting at Confidas came up, Paul’s impression of the business was that this was too good an opportunity to miss.
Outside of insurance, sport tends to dominate his life (much to his patient wife’s frustration) playing golf throughout the summer and hockey in the winter. Unsurprisingly, travel is his other passion. With a target of visiting all 193 UN member state countries in his lifetime, Paul is currently a few short of making it half way to his goal.
Amanda Stentiford
Underwriter
Amanda started her career with Commercial Union dealing with Household and Motor insurance, this continued until the merger with General Accident when she moved to Commercial underwriting specialising in Motor Trade insurance, she became an Underwriting Manager in 2012 and worked with her team of underwriters with a panel of Brokers mostly local to Croydon until she left for pastures new at the end of 2019 when she joined Confidas.
Amanda enjoys working with Brokers to find the best solution for their clients and is passionate about providing a good service.
Outside of work, Amanda enjoys spending time with her family and friends, catching up over a meal or having time away at her caravan on the Sussex coast, her four cats and a dog keep her busy at home.