Markham is a UK-based insurance intermediary managing approximately £13.5m in gross written premium across several specialist divisions.

The business operates across three core areas:

  • High Net Worth Personal Lines, including household, motor, and renovation cover, supported by an in-house MGA with white-labelled products

  • UK Commercial Lines, servicing businesses directly across a wide range of liability and commercial risks

  • Specialist International Risks, including Latin American corporate travel and niche special risks

In addition to servicing clients directly, Markham also acts as a wholesale partner for smaller regional brokers, giving them access to insurers they may not otherwise be able to work with.

The Challenge

Prior to implementing BrokerCentral, Markham was operating on a highly antiquated system - a custom-built Microsoft Access database originally created over 20 years ago.

This legacy setup created several challenges:

  • No automation and heavy reliance on manual data entry

  • Increasing administrative workload as the business grew

  • Scaling the business required hiring more admin staff rather than improving efficiency

  • Significant operational risk, with no internal technical ownership of the system

As Joe White explains:

“We were essentially having to hire more people to do admin work. That just isn’t scalable in today’s world -especially when technology should be doing that heavy lifting for you.”

Markham recognised that continuing this way would limit growth and divert skilled staff away from higher-value work.

Exploring the Market

Markham knew they needed an insurance-specific platform - generic CRMs and rigid enterprise systems weren’t a fit.

They explored:

  • Large, established broker platforms used across the market

  • MGA-specific systems with complex rating models

  • Fully custom-built solutions using tools like Microsoft Dynamics

However, these options raised concerns around:

  • High ongoing change costs for even small system tweaks

  • Lack of flexibility for Markham’s non-traditional business model

  • Long build times and significant long-term development overhead

A fully custom solution, in particular, was ruled out due to cost, risk, and time to value.

Why BrokerCentral?

BrokerCentral stood out for its flexibility, responsiveness, and alignment with how Markham operates.

Key deciding factors included:

  • A platform designed specifically for insurance workflows

  • The ability to adapt and evolve without prohibitive development costs

  • Direct access to the people building and supporting the system

  • A shared philosophy around being nimble rather than rigid

While BrokerCentral was a newer platform at the time, Markham felt confident in the product’s direction and the partnership approach.

“We’re not a traditional intermediary, and we needed a system that understood that. There was real synergy between the two businesses.”

Implementation & Onboarding

Markham began onboarding with BrokerCentral in April, starting with their UK commercial division.

  • Initial implementation took around 4–6 weeks

  • The timeline was flexible and paced around Markham’s internal priorities

  • BrokerCentral supported data migration from a legacy system Markham had used for two decades

The onboarding process included:

  • Hands-on support with data structure and migration

  • On-site visits for training and setup

  • Ongoing access via chat, email, and calls throughout the process

“The accessibility really stood out. There was never a sense of ‘we’ll get back to you next week’. If we needed something, BrokerCentral were there.”

Adoption Across the Team

Different teams experienced the transition in different ways:

  • Some teams were entirely spreadsheet-driven before BrokerCentral

  • Others were used to working within outdated admin systems

While this meant an initial learning curve for some users, the long-term benefits quickly became clear:

  • Clear workflows from lead → proposal → client → policy

  • Reduced double-keying and manual document creation

  • Centralised data that can be reused, reported on, and analysed

“Once people understood what a proper admin system could actually do for them, the resistance disappeared.”

The Impact So Far

Although Markham is still early in its journey with BrokerCentral, the benefits are already clear.

Improved Scalability

BrokerCentral is enabling Markham to:

  • Grow without increasing headcount at the same rate

  • Re-focus skilled staff on client service, specialisms, and growth

  • Prepare for future renewal cycles with far less manual effort

“The goal is to grow the business with a similar cost base - and BrokerCentral plays a big part in that.”

Better Data & Management Insight

For senior management, access to structured data has been transformational:

  • Real-time reporting and dashboards

  • Clear visibility of premiums, lifetime client value, and performance

  • Reduced reliance on manual Excel manipulation and human error

AI-Driven Efficiency

One standout feature for Markham is BrokerCentral’s AI document handling, helping to:

  • Extract key data from long-form policy documents

  • Reduce manual reading and re-keying

  • Speed up proposal and renewal processes

Support That Feels Like a Partnership

Support has been one of the biggest differentiators for Markham.

Coming from a position where their old system had no technical support at all, the contrast was stark:

  • Immediate acknowledgement of issues

  • Fast fixes for smaller problems

  • Clear communication for more complex work

“We’ve gone from standing on one leg to having instant access to people who can actually fix things.”

Markham also values that improvements made for other BrokerCentral clients feed back into the wider platform.

“We’re not siloed - everyone benefits. It’s a rising tide.”

Looking Ahead

Markham is now preparing to onboard additional divisions with larger data volumes and more complex workflows.

Their focus for the future is clear:

  • Greater efficiency

  • Smarter use of data

  • Sustainable growth without operational drag

BrokerCentral is seen as a core part of that strategy.

“Efficiency is our priority and BrokerCentral is going to be integral to that.”

Would Markham Recommend BrokerCentral?

Yes - and they already have.

For brokers looking for:

  • Flexibility over rigidity

  • A system that adapts to how they work

  • A genuine partnership rather than a closed platform

BrokerCentral has proven to be a strong fit.