Published 30 July 2026

A lot happens in a year here. So how does five years feel?

From the depths of covid, to the rise of AI, the world has moved on leaps and bounds since 2020, and the same goes for Marshmallow.

To find out more about the journey we've been on, we spoke to some of our longest tenured people about their experiences, where they started, how their roles have developed, and what they've learned from 5+ years at such a fast growing company.

Hi team! You've both had the opportunity to take on a variety of roles over the last 5 years. Tell us a bit about your Marshmallow journey.

Francesco: After I decided to leave the gambling industry, I went looking for a Java-based tech startup, and that's when I came across Marshmallow. I feel lucky to have found it. I joined as a Software Engineer on the Pricing team.

The tech felt familiar after my years at gambling and casino companies, so I could get stuck in and make an impact early, but the part that won me over was the mission. For the first time, I was building something I felt proud of. As a migrant to the UK myself, that meant a lot. And I'll admit it, I thought car insurance would be boring. I could not have been more wrong. There is so much going on under the hood.

My role has taken me all over since then: pricing first, then the platform team where I helped stand up a brand new CI platform, then a year leading that team, before making my way back to the hands-on engineering that I love.

Hannah: I was in a bit of a rut in my previous company where I didn't see much room for growth and felt like I wasn't driving much of an impact. I saw the role at Marshmallow and it was an opportunity to move to a smaller company where I'd be the sole Data Scientist responsible for Fraud. It seemed like a great opportunity to build on my prior experience in Fincrime, but with a lot more ownership.

A former colleague was already at Marshmallow, and after speaking to her I was sold. My role has changed a fair bit since joining — I've worked as a Data Scientist in several parts of the business, took on a Product Manager role a few times, and now I'm Director of our Data Science function, so I've been stretched in lots of different ways.

What did you like about Marshmallow's culture when you joined? How has our culture stayed the same, and how has it evolved?

Francesco: What grabbed me from day one was being trusted to speak up and take a leading role. There's no ego here, and a good idea can come from anyone whatever their job title. That spirit hasn't budged. The values have been reworded here and there over the years, but that core idea has stayed exactly the same.

Hannah: I think one of the things that's stayed true all this time is that Marshmallow is a company that recognises and rewards people who are curious. People who are able to identify opportunities, and are proactive in driving forward ideas. This means always speaking up, sometimes stepping outside your defined role, and standing behind what you think is important.

Which one of our values resonates most with you, and how does it show up in your day to day work?

Francesco: For me it's 'We have a low ego'. Hierarchy and job titles don't matter much here; what counts is ideas and impact. Day to day that means working shoulder to shoulder with people outside engineering, like product owners, underwriters and domain experts, sharing context so we all succeed, and being happy to have my own ideas challenged.

I've taken to heart that data beats opinions and teams beat individuals, and that you have to know the granular details to make a good call. None of that means rolling over. I'm still opinionated and proud of my work. It just means the best idea wins, whoever it came from.

Hannah: I'd say 'We maximise impact, fast'. This value isn't about the classic startup trope of 'move fast and break things' — it's about being really clear on where the leverage lies, how to get value and learnings quickly, and where to invest in those bigger items that will pay off in the mid to long term.

I think this is a really important value in Data Science. It forces us to simplify where possible, focus on impact over technical complexity just for the sake of it, and constantly think about feedback loops to learn and iterate.

What has 5 years at Marshmallow taught you?

Francesco: My biggest lesson came from the year I led the platform team. It was my first go at managing people, and the tricky part wasn't the technical side at all. It was learning to step back and not be the one solving every problem myself. I noticed I'd leap at any incident or gnarly bug, treating it like a treat in the middle of a day packed with meetings, and that told me pretty much everything about what I love doing. I came away certain that hands-on problem solving is what fires me up, with a lot more empathy for managers and communication habits I've held onto since moving back into engineering.

Hannah: I think I've grown way more comfortable with being wrong about something. I've learnt that it's better to speak up and challenge or share an idea even if it ends up being wrong, than hold back until I have built a complete picture. I've seen this drive so many useful conversations and encourage healthy debate.

We've come a long way in 5 years, but we're only just getting started. What are you excited about on our future roadmap?

Francesco: After stepping away from the management role and getting back to hands-on engineering, I was invited to join the car finance team. They're tackling another problem for migrants: how hard it is to get car finance when you're new to the country. It's a brand new product, which brings plenty of challenges and some ambitious goals, but also the chance to make a big impact early in a product's life. That's the part I'm most excited about.

Hannah: We're constantly challenging and questioning how insurance works and why things are done in a certain way. I think there's still a huge opportunity to innovate in this space and really shape insurance products around our customers, their needs and how they behave.

A big thank you to Francesco and Hannah for sharing their Marshmallow journeys.