"I learned a lot in those hands-on years - dealing with people and finding out that I actually enjoy it."
And while he sees challenges ahead in the private health sector, it will still be the people - both patients and staff - that will be the best thing about leading the team at Dunedin's private hospital, Mr Whitney (48) says.
The private health sector had "a reasonably low profile" in New Zealand, but it did as many elective, or non-urgent, procedures as the public health sector across the country, he said.
The changing economic environment was one of the challenges facing private health and would put pressure on traditional funding of private hospitals, which generally comes from ACC, health insurance and patients paying for their own treatment.
The private sector would need to look towards building strategic relationships with other health providers, including the public sector, Mr Whitney said.
Health Minister Tony Ryall had clearly signalled he wanted to see the private and public health sectors working together.
Mr Whitney said the relationship between Mercy Hospital and the Otago District Health Board (ODHB) had been limited in the past and had generally involved "one-off activities".
He hoped to develop a long-term relationship with the board which was planned rather than reactive.
Oamaru born and bred, Mr Whitney trained as a St John paramedic before deciding to move towards health management.
He gained a BA Hons and a diploma in economics from the University of Otago and also completed a masters degree in health management at Massey University.
He was one of 16 graduates to enter a two-year programme run by the then hospital boards and Department of Health, specifically designed to develop management opportunities and capacity in the health sector.
"I saw that as my golden opportunity to apply a natural interest [in health] and academic studies."
Following that, he spent almost 20 years working at the ODHB and was group manager of specialist surgery, including theatres, the intensive care unit and the emergency department, when he left.
From there, he moved to South Link Health, a nonprofit independent practitioners' association, where he was general manager for almost five years.
The association supports 500 GPs across the South Island.
Mr Whitney is married with three children, all boys, and what spare time he does have is spent working on a project to restore a 1937 two-seater Singer, or "liberating and refreshing" himself out on his Harley Davidson motorcycle.
