Staff celebrate 30 years at Open GI

Open GI has celebrated the 30 year anniversary of two employees with a presentation.

Martin Pritchard and Pat Knapman began their careers at Open GI in 1979, the year the company was formed.

This week Open GI marked their success with a 30th anniversary presentation.

Pritchard began life at Open GI as a Programmer, following 10 years working at IBM in London.

In the early years he worked in a team of five in a small back office in Worcester city centre, developing what is now the UK and Ireland’s leading broker system, used by over 25,000 insurance professionals.

Reflecting on his time with Open GI, he said: “Many things change over the years but working with technology provides a unique insight into how far we have evolved in a relatively short period of time. When I first started with the company, computers were the size of filing cabinets and only able to perform basic functions. Now you can develop something 100 times more powerful to fit in the palm of your hand.”

Knapmant began her career at Open GI as Office Manager and has since moved on to become commercial manager. She said: “Today the business is totally unrecognisable to the one we started 30 years ago. For the first few years we were struggling to make ends meet as most new businesses are. Now we turn over millions each year and support a workforce of over 300 people. Looking round the company now makes all the hard work in the early years worthwhile.”

Managing Director Chris Guillaume said: “The success of Open GI as a business relies on the skills and dedication of our workforce. Martin and Pat’s length of service is testament to their ability and the added value they bring to the business. We are extremely proud to have such an experienced team and we hope to continue to support individual and collective success over the next 30 years.”