McGill and Partners, the boutique specialist (re)insurance broker, launched in 2019. As a start-up company, building operational infrastructure was critical to help get their business model up and running to fulfil their ambitious plans.

McGill and Partners chose the Whitespace Platform early in its development to support them with engaging with the marketplace and trading electronically. As an entirely cloud-based business, McGill and Partners is supported by Whitespace, which lies at the heart of its operating model.

McGill and Partners found Whitespace easy to adopt, and enjoyed how seamlessly its team could continue trading through the Covid-19 lockdowns. Over time, McGill and Partners has expanded its use of the Platform and now uses Whitespace across all of its insurance lines, as well as for facultative reinsurance.

Thanks to Whitespace’s focus on collaborating with its customers as well as having a transparent roadmap, McGill and Partners has been able to provide input on upcoming and potential functionalities and has been impressed by how Whitespace has been able to accommodate some of the firm’s unique requirements. For example, some aviation contracts require a platform to have specific technical capabilities that Whitespace has now built in, allowing brokers to place that line of business.

The team at McGill and Partners has particularly appreciated the ease with which it can extract and consume structured data using Whitespace. Even when placing business for markets off-platform, through Whitespace they can still get a holistic view of all participants on a risk. Most importantly, the ability to start with a data-first contract is integral to McGill and Partner’s future strategy and the way it operates.

Ben Graves, Head of UK Operations at McGill and Partners, said: “Whitespace has always been clearly and transparently focussed on data-first contracts and digital-first trading. This is not at the expense of face-to-face trading, but rather to complement it. Its offering allows us to pursue efficient digitised processes without forgoing the benefits of a people and relationship driven marketplace.

“I thoroughly enjoy working with the Whitespace team, they’re passionate, highly skilled, and have a deep understanding of how the market works.”