Podcast | Senior MD for People Experience, Markel - how we protected our employee-led culture while growing to 5,000 staff in 16 countries

When specialist insurer Markel went public in the 1980s, it employed around 500 workers in Richmond, Virginia.

Fast forward to 2025, the company now employs over 5,000 people in 16 countries. But for all that growth, Senior MD for People Experience Joanna Browning says its cultural foundations have been protected and maintained. At its heart, the business remains employee-led.

Browning joins the HR Grapevine podcast to discuss what being ‘truly people-first’ means in practice, from employee-led celebrations of religious holidays such as Ramadan to the power of Markel’s community groups, and how the company has reinforced its culture as a driver of inclusion, productivity, and business sucess.