b'John placed immense trust in those around him, like Pat. Another vital cog in the MGA Whittles back-office machine was Cathy Piper, who started in reception at the Tumby Bay office in 1988. John saw her potential and brought her into the Adelaide office. She quickly became a fix-it specialist, deployed to troubleshoot and solve systems and process issues.Around 2000, John assigned her to revamp the companys central processing systems, which involved rewriting its custom broker software (CBS). Working with a software developer, Cathy hammered Johns vision into shape. Soon after, she was tasked with ensuring compliance with the Financial ServicesMGA Whittles still operates on a hub-and-spokeReform Act 2001 (FSRA). model, emphasising central control, risk management, efficiency and scalability. With new offices opening, theToday, Cathy is the group operations coordinator, core services team in the Adelaide head office neededproviding system development and support across62 to provide a turn-key service covering IT, administration,the group.bookkeeping, communications and marketing support. Similarly, Heidi Whitehead was entrusted to oversee the Pat Warren says capable key service staff were essentialfinance side of the business. Heidi joined the company for the models success alongside the hardware andin 1996 and made a strong impression. She became the software. I think a critical part of the development ofgroup services finance manager two years later. the business is that John put the right people in the right spots, she says. Not everything was plain sailing for the group, as in any small to medium-sized business. The introduction of the GST was the worst nightmare you can imagine from a systems perspective, recalls Pat. But more often than not, people found solutions, and business continued uninterrupted. The analogy of a duck paddling madly beneath the water but gliding smoothly on top comes to mind.Above (L-R) Debbie Paltridge, Right (L-R) Paul DalyPat Warren and Sam Hemer. and Julian Cochran.'