When Beneva set out to push its digital capabilities in auto insurance, the insurer spotted a clear opening in Guidewire’s Advanced Product Designer.
Guidewire had started urging customers to move product definitions into APD, promising automated code generation, product-level APIs, and cleaner digital delivery. The catch was timing.
Early adoption demanded deep product knowledge and a partner comfortable working before the guardrails fully existed.
Beneva turned to GFT, its long-time Guidewire partner, to navigate that environment. The two firms already worked closely across property and casualty systems, which lowered execution risk at a moment when Beneva wanted speed, not experiments that drift.
Éric Marcoux, IT vice-president for property and casualty and corporate services at Beneva, frames the move as a practical decision. The insurer wanted more services online and fewer bottlenecks inside IT.
To fully use what Guidewire could now generate automatically, including digital components, Beneva needed its products defined inside APD. Anything else left value sitting idle.
Before APD, product definitions lived largely in code. Business users relied on IT teams for changes, and real-time adjustments were rare. APD flips that structure.
It uses a graphical, business-facing framework that produces metadata and PolicyCenter code automatically. Product logic shifts closer to the business. IT steps back from routine edits.
Marcoux says timing mattered. Guidewire’s new conversion tool changed the equation. Earlier approaches were long and heavy. The new tooling promised something faster and simpler, so Beneva opted in as an early adopter. The decision came with uncertainty. It also came with upside.
APD conversion usually happens once and requires specialised skills. Beneva asked GFT to lead the effort alongside Guidewire Services.
After more than 12 years working together on Guidewire systems, the choice felt obvious. The scope was broad.
Every auto product element, coverages, questions, rules, and the full logical structure, had to be rebuilt inside APD. From there, APD would generate PolicyCenter code and create product-specific APIs to speed digital work.
Advanced Product Designer is driving a new wave of innovation on the Guidewire Cloud Platform. Insurers like Beneva, who are rapidly migrating their products to this modern and flexible framework, are positioning themselves as market leaders.
André Gagné, CEO, GFT Canada
“Faster digital releases, more automation, and the ability to iterate safely all stand to transform the customer experience, says André Gagné.
The original plan assumed roughly 16 weeks. The team finished in eight. Go-live landed in September 2025.
Marcoux says the work went smoother than expected. The product stayed stable. The conversion tool held up. GFT and Guidewire Services delivered without surprises. For an early-stage programme, that outcome mattered.
For GFT, the project reflected earlier bets on Guidewire’s early-adopter track. The firm had invested in APD training and tooling access ahead of broader market uptake.
That preparation let its teams move quickly when carriers like Beneva decided to modernise product definition on the Guidewire Cloud Platform.
André Gagné, CEO of GFT Canada, sees APD as a shift in how insurers operate on Guidewire. He argues that carriers moving fast into this framework set themselves apart. Faster releases follow. Automation expands. Iteration becomes safer. Customer experience changes as a result, not as a slogan.
Working early also meant tighter collaboration. Tools still evolve. Providers still adjust. Gagné notes that early projects require pressure in the right places.
Beneva’s team stayed close, kept requirements clear, and helped maintain momentum when edges appeared.
The September launch passed without noise. Agents saw no disruption. Systems behaved as expected. For business users, the difference showed up immediately. They can now change products themselves, without pulling IT into every adjustment that APD handles automatically.
That shift feeds directly into Beneva’s digital roadmap. APD generates APIs tied precisely to each product, which lets the insurer extend online functions faster, from quoting to policy changes to first notice of loss. Marcoux says the company can now improve customer journeys without waiting on long development cycles.
Next comes homeowners’ insurance. Beneva plans to convert those products to APD using the same approach, repeating the model rather than reinventing it.
By completing one of the first live APD conversions under Guidewire’s Early Adopter Program, Beneva gained clarity as much as capability. The process proved simpler than expected. The benefits became tangible. For GFT, the work now feeds similar projects with other insurers.
For Beneva, the conversion lays groundwork for a faster, more flexible operating model. Not theory. Something that already runs.
