The Charlotte Bobcats have again juggled their front office, this time by hiring former New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets executive Tim Hinchey to spearhead all Bobcats sales efforts.
Hinchey, who was named executive vice president of business operations, joined the organization April 10. He is in charge of ticket, sponsorship and premium-seating sales.
Hinchey worked for the Hornets as senior vice president of corporate development, joining the franchise in August just before Hurricane Katrina forced the team to relocate to Oklahoma City. He left the Hornets for personal reasons in February after helping the franchise secure $7.4 million in founder-level partnerships in Oklahoma City.
Hinchey’s hiring comes a month after the Bobcats promoted Peter Smul to chief operating officer. Smul’s new position was prompted by Ed Tapscott’s promotion to chief executive officer and president. Under the new structure, Hinchey and chief marketing officer Chris Weiller report to Smul.
In another move, executive vice president of entertainment Naomi Travers has resigned. Travers was hired by Bobcats owner Bob Johnson to run Johnson’s now-defunct C-SET network. When the team folded the network last June, Travers was assigned to run the team’s broadcasting and game operations efforts, which now fall under Weiller.
“Like any business, there is an evolution, and you always look to tweak in order to improve,” Smul said. “The end-game is to drive results.”
