Irina Pavlova, the New York face of the Nets’ Russian ownership, is leaving the organization after seven years. Pavlova will step down from her role as president of Mikhail Prokhorov’s ONEXIM Sports and Entertainment, the holding company for the Nets and Barclays Center.
Pavlova, 46, is leaving of her own accord. Her plans have been in the works for months. Her last day is scheduled for June.
With her effervescent personality, Pavlova was much more than a senior executive in Prokhorov’s front office. She was not just the New York face, but the friendly face of what was often a distant ownership, working on issues like construction of Barclays Center and design of HSS Training Center, as well as encouraging Sean Marks and Kenny Atkinson in their new jobs and, most of all, connecting with the team’s fanbase.