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Press release:

Ref: OGI0217
14th June 2010

Hughes Increases IT Investment with Open GI

Northern Ireland’s largest independent broker, Hughes Insurance, has expanded their Open GI system as part of a long term deal to support future business growth.

The four year deal focuses on solutions that will drive up productivity across their 200 plus staff and automate many routine processes. It is also geared towards Hughes’ quote and buy site www.hughesinsurance.co.uk which was built by Open GI’s e-commerce team.

The multi-branch business based in Newtownards is planning to grow its turnover in 2010 with the support of the Open GI system which is scalable to support additional users.

In addition to e-commerce, a key area for growth will be SME, where lines such as Property Owners, Shops and Offices are gaining a foothold in the market. Open GI’s Open Trader platform will be integral to this.

Gareth Brady, Chief Executive Officer, Hughes Insurance, said: “Despite some statistics suggesting that Northern Ireland’s online insurance market is not as strong as other areas of the UK, our web traffic is very high. With Open GI we have been able to create a fully integrated market-wide quote and buy site.

“At Hughes our aim is to offer great products at competitive prices. To do this we need to keep our running costs as low as possible which is why we are also looking at Open GI’s productivity solutions. Throughout the entire IT planning process, it’s evident that Open GI has the scale, industry expertise and financial strength that we require.”

Simon Hughes, Sales & Marketing Director, Open GI, said: “Hughes Insurance is a highly ambitious, technology driven company. It’s vital they have the appropriate technology in place to support future growth. I am pleased to see Open GI solutions having a positive impact on the business particularly in the e-commerce / SME arena.”

For More Information contact:
Stacy Prosser
Marketing Team Leader
Open GI
Tel: 01905 754455
email: stacy.prosser@opengi.co.uk

Notes to Editors:

Open GI supplies market leading IT solutions to insurance brokers across the UK & Ireland. With 25,000 users in around 2,000 firms, the company has a 40% share of the UK broker market and is committed to technological innovation. Open GI technology enables personal and commercial lines brokers trading in standard and niche markets to streamline business activity and become more profitable. With a workforce of 300 people and a 30 year heritage, the company enjoys a strong financial performance. For the year ended 31 st May 2007 Open GI reported revenues of £27.3 million and an operating profit of £13.6 million.