Diplomat's daughter named to top New Jersey Nets post

EAST RUTHERFORD—Irina Pavlova, a diplomat's daughter with a business degree from Stanford University, was hired Thursday as president of the company that will oversee the NBA's New Jersey Nets.

Mikhail Prokhorov's Onexim Group said that Pavlova will represent the team's new owner in the New York area.

Prokhorov's $200-million purchase made him the first foreign owner of an NBA franchise.

Pavlova has extensive experience in business and finance. She earned a masters degree in business from Stanford, worked as a financial analyst with Prudential Investment Corporation and was Russia's first employee for Google.

Prokhorov has vowed to revive the lowly Nets, and his company called Pavlova the "perfect bridge between Russia and the United States."

"She will establish the company's office (in New York) and cooperate closely with the Nets management to ensure they have everything they need to build a championship team," Onexim said in a statement.

Pavlova will coordinate the development project in Brooklyn, New York, that is to become the Nets' new arena. The long-delayed venue is expected to open in 2012.

Source: INQ