Nick Marvin has been appointed chief executive of the new look Jack Bendat-owned Perth Wildcats, as the Perth National Basketball League franchise looks to establish a new era of success.
Nick Marvin has been appointed chief executive of the new look Jack Bendat-owned Perth Wildcats, as the Perth National Basketball League franchise looks to establish a new era of success.
The appointment of Mr Marvin, who was previously the managing director of Perth datacenter Perth iX, is a major off-court appointment for the Wildcats.
Long time basketball fan Mr Bendat took over the reigns of the Perth team from Western Australian basketball luminary Andrew Vlahov in February this year, and promised success for the team both on and off the court.
Given his track record in business, he is sure to be given every chance of delivering on that promise before judgement is passed.
Mr Marvin’s role will form a key plank of the club’s plans for success.
He told WA Business News he wanted to bring a corporate aspect to the club.
“We will focus on developing sponsorship, implementing a grass-roots program to develop basketball in schools and the community, and increase the appeal to families,” he said.
In his role as chief executive, Mr Marvin will be responsible for the corporate side of the club and its day-to-day operations.
Mr Vlahov will continue his involvement with the club as managing director, where he will deal more with the playing side of the business, and also on bigger projects like the club’s development in Asia. Mr Bendat is the chairman and majority shareholder.
Mr Marvin said the Wildcats had a 24-month plan to make the club profitable, which in the short-term included continuing to build a presence in Asia and implementing its grass-roots plan.
The Asian market for basketball is vast, with a growing appetite for the sport in Singapore, China and India.
In addition, the Hunter Pirates NBL franchise has relocated to Singapore, and will be based there from next season, giving the sport an even greater toehold in the region.
Mr Marvin describes himself as a ‘mad fan’ of the Wildcats, having initially come on board with the club as a corporate sponsor through his previous role with Perth iX.
“The return on investment from that sponsorship was very good and I was attracted to the Wildcats because it is a very clean brand and an untapped brand,” he said.
The Wildcats have slipped a few pegs in the WA sporting pecking order in recent years and it will be interesting to see if the new regime can return the club to its halcyon days of the early 1990s.
The new back-office team has a well established brand to work with, and can boast one of the most successful records of any WA sporting team competing in a national competition – with four premierships since 1990.
