He spent 1947 to 1949 in national service with the Royal Navy, then resumed his career, joining the Daily Herald in 1954, then quickly moving to Illustrated, where he was Deputy Editor.
Together with visionary art director Harri Peccinotti, he swiftly established Nova as an influential must-read for the movers and shakers of Swinging London, with men as well as the original target audience of women becoming devotees of its heady mixture of social issues and cutting-edge fashion and modern lifestyle features.
Hackett’s key task was to launch an irreverent midweek colour supplement, a challenge which was arguably of greater cultural significance than Nova.
Mirror Magazine published on Wednesdays and it reflected all of Hackett’s chutzpah and sense of zeitgeist, its October 1969 launch issue deciding on a future with the Butlins Redcoats for the 21-year-old Prince of Wales.
[6] Hackett's reputation was undimmed and he held numerous positions during the 1970s, including an associate editorship of the Daily Express, while writing books on the Bemrose Corporation and Ford Motor Company.