EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey — Mikhail Prokhorov's Onexim Group has hired the daughter of a Russian diplomat to oversee the New Jersey Nets.
Onexim announced late last week that Irina Pavlova would be the NBA team owner's representative in the New York area.
Pavlova has extensive experience in business and finance. She earned an MBA from Stanford University, worked as a financial analyst with Prudential Investment Corp. and became Russia's first employee for Google. She lived in Moscow and Washington as a child.
Onexim described Pavlova as 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," it said in a statement.
Pavlova will coordinate the development project in Brooklyn that is to become the Nets' new home. The long-delayed arena is expected to open in 2012.
Prokhorov agreed to buy 80 percent of the Nets and 45 percent of the arena project from developer Bruce Ratner last year.
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