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Hogrefe says farewell to Jackie Wagner

When Jackie Wagner joined Hogrefe in 2006, it was in response to a flyer dropped through her door – a company called The Test Agency had recently been acquired by Hogrefe and was seeking a German-speaking office administrator.

“They were still using CD-ROMs to set up electronic testing,” Jackie recalls, “and there were very few staff members – in fact they were just recruiting sales and marketing staff at the same time.”

The longtime Customer Support and Training Manager will retire at the end of this month after 15 years as the voice (if you’ve ever called our offices) of the UK-based branch of Hogrefe Publishing. She has helped Hogrefe’s test portfolio and training programme grow from a handful of products and services to the wide range we offer today.

When asked what she’ll miss most about working at Hogrefe, she doesn’t hesitate for a moment: “the people, absolutely. Getting to know customers and being able to help them with purchasing, support or advice and guidance – it’s just wonderful to know you’re helping.”

Jackie is particularly proud of having been at the helm of the online training growth over the course of the pandemic; from the early days scrambling to contact delegates and trainers and support them in moving to online learning, to the more well-oiled machine it’s grown to today.

“There was a lot of confusion early in lockdown, people were furloughed or working from home, unsure what was coming next. That we were able to move quickly to support them with online learning and certification was, I think, a source of reassurance that some things could move on as planned.”

Hogrefe UK interim General Manager Pamela Becker says that while the company – and its customers – will certainly miss Jackie, she’s thrilled that Jackie will be able to retire into some of the things she loves most, such as travel and painting.

“Jackie is such a great source of knowledge for the company, and she’s a wonderful colleague and employee. It’s impossible to replace 15 years of knowledge and lived experience, but Jackie has absolutely put her own unique stamp on Hogrefe. She will be missed.”

- Pamela Becker (Hogrefe UK interim General Manager)

Jackie’s last day at Hogrefe is 30th June – after that she says you’ll find her painting watercolour, dancing, studying homeopathy and travelling far and wide (just as soon as possible!). You are more than welcome to say farewell at customersupport@hogrefe.co.uk.