Introducing the Avallain Professional Services department

From joining the Westermann Group in creating the highly successful Denken und Rechnen (‘Thinking and Numeracy’) differentiated learning platform to being an integral part in the development of the Bett Award-winning Oxford Owl platform for primary school students, Avallain has been at the very forefront of the digital education sector for many years now. In fact, we have experienced fantastic and consistent growth – to the great benefit of our existing clients, as well as the many new high-profile partners with whom we have teamed up.

To support this development, Avallain will be scaling up all areas of operation, from the Product and Operations departments to the Technology team; this will allow us to free up capacities for further innovation and development regarding our core products and architecture. To further expand the close relationship we have always had with our key clients, we will be introducing Avallain’s new Professional Services department.

What is the purpose of Professional Services?

From the very beginning, one of the most enduring core values of Avallain has been our client-centric approach; in fact, this has been one of the most important factors of our success over the years. Thus, we decided that due to the scale-up, we would also dedicate an entire department to fully supporting our key clients – They want to expand their leading positions on the market, and the new department is determined to support them in this highly competitive environment with the combined experience of both the dedicated Professional Services teams and their respective directors, Dr Nancy Roberts and Markus Hartmann.

Heading the international Professional Services team

After 20 years working in the areas of trade, children’s, educational and academic publishing, Dr Nancy Roberts joins the Avallain Professional Services team as Director of Professional Services International. Her professional consulting experience, her passion for the opportunities that technology can offer to the publishing market and the fact that she is currently studying for an MBA degree on the side make her an exceptionally versatile director – and in a department whose main goal is to understand our client’s point of view, that is exactly what we need. As she puts it, “I am really excited to be joining Avallain to help to shape and deliver the future direction of the organisation, and I am looking forward to working with publishing friends old and new.”

Nancy will be working closely with our international clients, using her knowledge of the publishing market to help them understand how Avallain technology can support them at every step of the way.

“My goal is to ensure that the new Professional Services team delivers the same high standards that customers have come to associate with Avallain, and that we can offer the best possible support to our publishing partners internationally”, says Nancy.

Focussing on Germany, Austria and Switzerland

Markus Hartmann, our new Director of Professional Services DACH also has 20 years worth of experience in the publishing sector, combined with extensive experience in the areas of key account and project management – and he has a keen eye for trends in both the publishing and IT sectors as well. Thus Markus knows both the requirements of professional publishing as well as how digital technology can address these requirements.

He has a clear goal in mind: “Commitment to publishers’ success in the age of digital education is in Avallain’s DNA from the beginning. The new Professional Services team for Germany, Austria and Switzerland is the next level of that principle and will offer integrated consulting and customer service for Avallain’s clients in central Europe.

Thus, Markus will ensure that our regional team for Germany, Austria and Switzerland takes a strongly service-oriented approach to their interactions with our clients and partners. Markus and his team will listen closely to our clients’ wishes and ideas, ensuring that they can use Avallain Technology to its fullest.

Scaling up without losing touch

Adding dedicated Professional Services teams to Avallain’s business structure ensures that our clients and partners can benefit from Avallain’s growth and the full combined experience of our team without losing the direct access they have always enjoyed.

Avallain’s products are already regarded as the best in the industry. With the addition of Nancy and Markus, both highly experienced publishing professionals, Avallain will have one of the strongest teams in the industry regarding both technological development and engineering as well as key account management”, Richard Nathan, Non-Executive Director and Member of the Board of Avallain AG promises – “I believe that this major investment by the company in its team alongside its development roadmap will help transform its customers’ competitive positions and the industry.