Markel & hyperexponential Partner to Transform Underwriting
Markel International has announced a strategic partnership with pricing platform hyperexponential (hx) to overhaul the rating and underwriting infrastructure within its Canadian division.
The move signals a major shift for the insurer as it moves away from fragmented, manual pricing processes towards a centralised, digital environment.
By adopting the hx platform, Markel Canada is integrating data and pricing context into a single, unified workflow.
The primary objective is to eliminate the friction typically associated with traditional underwriting hand-offs, ensuring that decision-makers have immediate access to necessary insights at the point of sale.
Modernising the Canadian portfolio
The first phase of the collaboration has seen Markel Canada launch a purpose-built Environmental rating capability on the hx platform.
This specific deployment serves as a template for a broader transition across the business, replacing legacy spreadsheets with a scalable foundation capable of supporting complex products and package policies.
As the commercial P&C market becomes increasingly data-driven, the ability to centralise rating layers allows carriers to respond to market shifts with greater agility.
For Markel, this partnership is a foundational step in building a more sophisticated architecture that can handle the evolving needs of its North American portfolio.
Cliff Laidlaw, Senior Vice President, Underwriting at Markel Canada, explains the necessity of the transition: “Our underwriters need tools that support good judgement, not slow it down.
“By pulling data directly into the rating workflow, we’re cutting friction from everyday decisions and letting our teams focus on what matters most – building trusted relationships with our broker partners, understanding risk and delivering consistent outcomes for clients.”
Building an AI-native infrastructure
While the immediate benefits include streamlined workflows and better data capture, the architecture is specifically designed to support the next generation of insurance technology.
The system is built to integrate emerging agentic and AI-enabled capabilities as they mature, positioning the firm to lead in AI-native underwriting.
Maureen Tomlinson, Senior Vice President of Operations at Markel Canada and Head of AI at Markel International, adds: “For Markel Canada, this is about more than replacing spreadsheets. It reflects our commitment to investing in a more sophisticated underwriting environment.
“The hx platform gives our underwriters a better experience today, while laying the groundwork for faster delivery, stronger data capture and future AI-native workflows across the business.”
The platform is not merely a replacement for old tools but a strategic investment in the company's long-term digital roadmap.
Expanding the North American footprint
For hyperexponential, the partnership further solidifies its position as a leading pricing and underwriting decision platform for commercial P&C carriers in North America.
By providing an underwriting workbench, hx enables insurers to keep intake, pricing and quoting within a single ecosystem.
Richard Gunn, President at hyperexponential, comments: “Canada is an important market for commercial underwriting, and Markel's ambition here stands out: they're not just patching existing systems, they're building for what comes next.
“hyperexponential has built the leading AI-native underwriting workbench that keeps pricing, data and decisions in one place, from intake through to quote.
“We're proud to support a team moving with this level of pace and intent to deliver the decision infrastructure for the next era of underwriting.”
Richard believes that by focusing on decision infrastructure, carriers can move with the pace required to stay competitive in an increasingly automated landscape.