b'Heidi explains that whether it was MGA or Whittles, all of the money flowed through the Adelaide office. This model enabled greater transparency but required sophisticated IT systems.The different businesses were run by the same people in the same way, and it was a successful model. There are differences in the MGA and Whittles businesses and the clientele, but the fundamentals were basically the same. It was a winning method, she says.That method enabled the business to grow. Bolting on new MGA offices was relatively seamless because the centralised services could smoothly handle all the FINANCIAL SERVICES finance, compliance and training requirements.REFORMS In 2002, MGA developed the exclusive Smartbroker System, an in-house tailored broker tool. It was one The early 2000s was a busy time formore example of how MGA constantly sought to63compliance officers in the financial servicesinnovate and provide better services to its brokers industry across Australia. The Financialand ultimately, the brokers clients. Another important Services Reform Act 2001 provided theinnovation was MGA EziPay, introduced in 2006 to industry with a major haul of regulationsprovide premium funding and retail instalment services and created new compliance obligationsto MGA clients. Johns grandson Thomas Miller is today the managing director of this division.for all finance service businesses, including insurance brokers. In the same year,MGA also established some important partnerships. Australias second-largest insuranceDuring the 2000s, Lumley Insurance became a vital company, HIH Insurance, was placed intopartner, providing security for the Millennium farmprovisional liquidation. The HIH collapsepack insurance portfolio. instigated a royal commission, which tabled its report to Parliament in April 2003. TheTibor Godrik was Lumleys South Australia and Northern Territory operations manager. His experience with added compliance burden placed on smallerMGA dates back to the late 1980s, when he worked businesses provided brokers with a goodwith Allan on a caravan parks policy. Allan had a strong reason to sign up to bigger networks like MGA. sense of commerciality and nous for quickly sizing upa policy. He could certainly fire up when things didnt go well, says Tibor. He would tell you straight awayif something was not going to work.Tibor also struck up a good relationship with Brian, Above Cathy Piper, 2005. who he found to be a gentleman. He was honourable, trustworthy, and nice bloke to deal with, he says.'