It’s not unusual for clients to build strong relationships with their outsourcing providers. In most partnerships though, the story ends at delivery. For John Raffaele and Peter Anson, that was just the beginning.
Years ago, they were leading teams at different companies, each searching for scalable solutions to complex business problems. What they found at Emapta went beyond staffing. They found a model they believed in.
That belief eventually brought them across the table. Today, John leads as Global Head of Finance and Accounting Operations for Emapta, while Peter leads as Managing Director for Australia and New Zealand. Their unique client-side perspective now guides the company they once hired, bringing an empathy-driven vision to Emapta’s mission.
The Choice to Outsource: A Response to Pressing Challenges
The decision to outsource often comes after a pivotal moment. When business growth reveals capability gaps and in-house teams struggle to keep up with market demands, leaders start to explore workforce solutions that offer greater flexibility, speed, and cost efficiency.
Recognizing Risks at a Top Accounting Firm
John spent 17 years as a Business Advisory Partner at HLB Mann Judd, an award-winning chartered accounting and advisory group with offices across Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji. The group is part of the global HLB network. During his time there, John played a key role in client strategy and internal capability building, often leading long-term projects that helped shape the firm’s future.
“In 2014, I led the ‘Future People Project,’ which focused on workforce sustainability,” John said. “Through that initiative, we identified a looming talent shortage, rising salary pressure, and more cautious client behavior.” These were clear warning signs that traditional hiring methods wouldn’t keep up. Recruitment was becoming slower, more expensive, and less reliable.
Recognizing the need for a long-term solution, John championed outsourcing as a smarter way to scale, one that reduced pressure on local teams and positioned the firm for future growth.
Facing Disruption at a Leading Services Operator
As CEO of Secure Parking for over six years, Peter led one of the largest commercial car park operators across Australia and New Zealand. The company oversaw high-volume, city-based operations and relied on streamlined support functions to keep services running smoothly. As the business grew, so did the pressure on internal teams.
When the global pandemic hit, the challenges escalated. Secure Parking had to respond quickly to shifting customer needs while keeping operational costs in check. “Traditional hiring would have taken too long,” Peter shared. “Because we were dealing with real-time demand, we needed a way to strengthen our workforce without losing momentum.”
To address the strain on local teams and respond at speed, Peter explored outsourcing as a strategic alternative. The goal was to find a transparent model that could keep the business moving forward, even when everything else was slowing down.
Finding Emapta: The Partner That Matched Their Vision
For both John and Peter, outsourcing wasn’t just about solving for cost or speed. It was about finding a partner who shared their outlook on people, growth, and quality. They knew that choosing the right provider would shape not only immediate outcomes, but long-term trust and business resilience. That clarity is what led them to Emapta.
Standing Out from the Start
In early 2015, John flew to Manila with a clear purpose: to evaluate offshoring providers firsthand. Over three days, he visited 14 BPOs, asking tough questions, assessing cultural alignment, and looking for a partner who could deliver more than just talent at scale. At the time, offshoring in professional services was still emerging in Australia, and John knew that finding the right fit would make or break the pilot.
“Emapta stood out immediately,” John said. “When I met with Tim Vorbach, the company’s CEO, his transparency and client-first thinking aligned perfectly with HLB’s values.” What began as a vendor evaluation quickly became a partnership in the making.
John returned with a 30-page business case, secured buy-in from the partnership, and launched HLB’s Manila team a few months later—laying the groundwork for what would eventually become a firm-wide transformation.
Trust Earned in a Time of Crisis
Secure Parking’s engagement with Emapta started in 2018—the same year Peter stepped into his CEO role there. Over time, the relationship evolved into a trusted partnership built on shared values. “I think Emapta is a real Australian success story,” Peter said. “It’s admirable how Tim founded the company to solve problems in one of his earlier businesses, and now it’s grown into a global leader in dedicated talent solutions.”
That trust was tested when the pandemic started in 2020. With urgent pressures on cost control and service continuity, Peter didn’t need to reassess his options. He leaned into a model he already knew was effective. “The personal commitment from Tim, and the flexibility of the model, gave us confidence early on,” he said. “We knew if we ever needed to transfer to our own model, we could—but we never had to, because the partnership just worked.”
How Emapta’s Support Led to Outsourcing Wins
Not long after the partnerships started, the results followed. For both leaders, outsourcing with Emapta quickly proved to be more than a tactical win. It became a strategic advantage. Backed by the right support, they began seeing significant improvements across their teams and operations.
Reliable, Repeatable Scalability
For HLB, offshoring was a deliberate move to evolve the firm’s delivery model and unlock greater flexibility. With Emapta’s support, they were able to successfully outsource a wide range of roles, from intermediate to senior and managerial levels, creating a more stable and scalable way to grow. Some of the roles Emapta helped them fill include:
- Accountants
- Auditors
- Tax Accountants
- Bookkeepers
- Country Manager
- Corporate Secretarial
As results became visible, the model gained traction across the firm. Every 90 days, John onboarded a new division, creating process maps, training materials, and delivering onsite sessions to ensure success. Within 18 months, every onshore division at HLB was supported by an offshore team.
HLB Mann Judd and Emapta
BUSINESS IMPACT HIGHLIGHTS
15% YoY Revenue Growth
15+ basis pt. utilization improvement
20% faster turnaround time
80+ Net Promoter Score (NPS)
<5% attrition rate
The impact didn’t stop there. Seeing the success of the model, other HLB member firms later adopted Emapta as their offshoring partner, with John helping them build high-performing finance and accounting teams of their own.
Thriving Through Uncertainty
Outsourcing became a critical lever as Secure Parking responded to fast-changing demands. With internal capacity stretched during a worldwide crisis, Peter relied on Emapta to fast-track the transfer of multiple functions. Through the partnership, the company was able to offshore these key roles:
- Customer Service Representatives
- Sales Support Specialists
- IT Support Analysts
- Finance Associates
- Marketing Specialists
- Inbound Support Agents
Peter saw firsthand what the right support model could deliver. The offshore team grew from 25 to 120 during the pandemic, delivering fast, transformational results across key areas.
Secure Parking and Emapta
BUSINESS IMPACT HIGHLIGHTS
4.8x workforce growth during the pandemic
Significant cost savings compared to local hiring
Enhanced customer experience across key touchpoints
No service disruption despite internal restructuring
300+ FTEs added across entities in a broader international group
The success of the partnership didn’t go unnoticed. Other entities within the broader international group that Secure Parking was part of soon followed, eventually bringing the combined Emapta-supported workforce to over 300 full-time employees.
The Trust-Driven Leap from Client to Leader
From the outside, Emapta delivered results. But from the inside of each partnership, both leaders saw something bigger: a company with the potential to transform how businesses scale and operate. So, when the opportunity came, the leap felt less like a career move and more like a natural next step.
A Move That Always Made Sense
“Throughout my journey as a former Emapta client, the CEO and I shared ideas and aligned our visions. No request was ever too big for the team, and they always accommodated our needs.”
After nearly three decades in professional services, John felt ready for a change, but his passion for offshoring hadn’t faded. When he resigned from his previous role, Tim was the first person he contacted. “He asked if I’d consider joining Emapta,” John recalled. “Given our 10-year relationship and my respect for Tim, it was an easy decision to say yes.”
In early 2025, John was officially appointed as Emapta’s Global Head of Finance and Accounting Operations, stepping into a role that allowed him to bring his client perspective full circle.
An Exciting Path Forward
“During my time as a client, Emapta was a critical partner we relied on heavily. They were always extremely responsive, especially during one of the most critical periods for the business.”
Peter’s connection to Emapta was shaped not just by the consistent service he experienced. He saw an organization whose values matched his own. As he considered the next chapter in his career, his decision was guided by the future Emapta was building. “I could see Emapta’s growth over the years, and it was truly impressive,” Peter shared. “But even more exciting was the potential that’s still ahead—what’s yet to be realized.”
In December 2024, Peter officially joined Emapta as Managing Director for Australia and New Zealand. While it was a new position, the decision felt like a continuation of a relationship built over the years. Now, he draws from his past outsourcing journey to help guide Emapta’s growth and deepen its impact across the region.
What Businesses Gain from Empathetic Leadership
John and Peter don’t just relate to the client experience. They’ve lived it. They faced high-stakes challenges and searched for outsourcing partners who could truly deliver. That experience now shapes how they lead. “I’ve sat on the client side,” Peter said. “I know how important it is to get timely responses and support you don’t have to chase.”
Because they’ve operated on the receiving end of outsourced solutions, both leaders are deeply focused on what actually drives outcomes. “We focus on removing friction and building conditions where nearshore and offshore teams can start contributing real value from day one,” John said. “That’s how we help our clients perform at their best.”
For businesses working with Emapta, that lived experience inspires confidence. With leaders who have dealt with the urgency and complexity of outsourcing, they get support that feels less transactional and more like a partnership rooted in true understanding.
Emapta’s Leadership Philosophy in Practice
When a company’s mission resonates so deeply that clients choose to join the team, it makes a strong statement. More than career milestones, John and Peter’s stories reflect our culture of putting people first. That shared sense of purpose is embedded in how we treat our clients and team members.
Each Emapta leader brings unique experiences and perspectives that strengthen our ability to provide support through outsourcing. The combination of those perspectives, guided by our values of care, excellence, and integrity, is what drives us forward.
Whether they arrived through the boardroom or the partnership table, our leaders share a commitment to building high-performing teams and delivering better outcomes for the businesses we serve.
Start Your Own Transformation Journey
Our clients have achieved remarkable results with the right support behind them. You can do the same for your business—with a high-performing team built to scale, adapt, and deliver real impact.
Emapta is a trailblazer in the outsourcing industry, redefining traditional outsourcing by creating a new standard for how businesses leverage offshore and nearshore teams. With a focus on providing dedicated teams from the world’s most skilled talent hubs, Emapta goes beyond cost reduction to deliver true value, optimizing operational efficiency and resource management for its clients.
Operating in over 30 countries, Emapta celebrates 15 years of consistent growth, supporting over 900 clients with a global workforce of more than 10,000 team members. The company’s commitment to employee welfare has earned it recognition as one of the “Best Companies to Work For in Asia” and contributes to one of the lowest attrition rates in the industry.
Emapta’s innovative staffing solutions are tailored to meet the evolving needs of its clients, ensuring each partnership is productive, sustainable, and forward-thinking. By continuously adapting to market demands, Emapta remains at the forefront of outsourcing, setting the stage for the future of work.
