b'CHAPTER 09NEW HORIZONSU ntil the late 1990s, MGAThe evolution of the IT system and other back-end61was an almost exclusivelyinnovations happened gradually, but it was always South Australian enterprise.a priority. From the very start, John was keen on Its presence interstate wascomputerisation, all the way back to purchasing the limited to a couple of officesfirst Apple 2 computers in the early 1980s. By 2000, in western Victoria. Thatthe IT revolution was in full swing. John did not wantwas about to change.MGA Whittles to ever lag behind. In 1998, a joint ventureThe strength of the back-office processes was a crucial with experienced Top Endpart of the sales pitch to any broker joining the network broker Bill Passmore resulted in a Darwin office for MGA. they could trust that the systems worked. It was the first of more to come.So weve got somebody standing by our client, the Des Caulfield says the business benefited during thisauthorised rep, but behind that rep are the support period from the excellence of its core group services,and tools MGA provides, says John. Weve always the authorised representative system, and its partnershiphad that back office and centralised system mentality. with Austbrokers. Those things combined, that systemOur reps have access to all of that. The idea was that and the fact that they had more access to capital, led toimmediately when they sign up, theyve got accessthe growth in the long-term view, he says. to our whole back office.Opposite (standing L-R) Heath Amber, Brian McInerney,Ron Broadbent, Steve McInerney, Paul George; (seated L-R) Allan Amber, Heidi Whitehead, John George and Pat Warren, 2014.'