About the client

Markel is a specialty insurance and financial services company operating across the US, Canada, and EMEA. Their teams use Sitecore Content Hub to manage product data, digital assets, and contact records across regions.

Challenge

Markel’s teams were running into limits with how Sitecore Content Hub handled relationships, assets, and access. Contacts needed to support multiple state and product combinations, but the platform’s native model could not support this cleanly. Headshots stored in the system required manual updates from Frontify, which often fell out of sync. Generating PDFs for contact directories was time-consuming and error-prone. At the same time, regional teams needed strict access controls without blocking shared visibility.

Solution

XCentium delivered four targeted customizations within Sitecore Content Hub using embedded components and scripts built with React and C#. Everything ran inside the existing platform, with no external hosting or new integrations required.

A custom React component was added to the contact detail page to manage state and product pairings. Behind it, a new junction entity enabled a true many-to-many relationship between contacts, states, and products. This removed the need for workarounds and simplified data management.

To keep headshots current, a C# script was implemented to sync images from Frontify CDN URLs. It runs on contact updates and on a schedule, processing records in batches and skipping unchanged files. This eliminated manual updates and improved consistency.

For document generation, XCentium used Content Hub print templates to create structured, on-brand PDFs. A custom selector component was added to allow users to choose contacts, select templates, and generate PDFs on demand. Optional fields such as titles and footers can be added at runtime.

Finally, a region-based access control model was built using taxonomy-driven policies. Region hierarchy determines permissions, allowing teams to manage local content while maintaining global visibility. The model was designed to scale as new regions are added.
 

Outcomes

The new approach simplified complex workflows and reduced manual effort across teams. Tasks that previously required multiple steps and workarounds are now handled directly in the platform.
PDF generation is now self-service and reliable. Headshots stay up to date automatically. Access control is structured and auditable.

• Faster contact management workflows
• Reduced manual effort for asset updates and PDF creation
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Technology

• Sitecore Content Hub
• React
• C#
• Frontify 

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