This document contains summaries of two networking presentations: Sam Hinkie grew up moving around as a child and faced personal tragedies. He had a successful career in management consulting and sports analytics before becoming GM of the 76ers. As GM, he incorporates analytics into decision-making and focuses on long-term rebuilding through strategic planning and staff development. Jane Singer is Senior VP of Communications at IMG Worldwide. Her responsibilities include developing strategic communications plans, demonstrating leadership, and managing resources to meet client objectives. She has over 30 years of experience in marketing and communications roles for various companies.

1. NETWORKING PRESENTATION
• Brent Schneider

2. SAM HINKIE

3. EARLY LIFE
• Sam Hinkie was born in the Netherlands in December 1977
• His father was an employee of Haliburton
• Moved to South Carolina when he was 3
• Brother committed Suicide senior year of high school.
• Best Friend and neighbor first female to die in the Iraq war.

4. CAREER
• Played basketball until high school, quit when he realized he wasn’t good enough to
make a career out of it.
• Graduated summa cum laude from Oklahoma
• Worked at Bain & Company after Graudation (mgmt consulting firm)
• Worked for Bain Capital Australia
• Afterwards, earned an MBA from Stanford
•

5. CAREER (CONTINUED)
• While getting his degree, he advised the San Francisco 49ers and Houston Texans
• After he Graduated from Stanford, Special Assistant to GM Carroll Dawson (2005-
2007)
• VP Basketball Operations (2007-2010)
• Youngest VP in NBA History
• Executive VP, Basketball Operations (2010-2013)
• General Manager of the Sixers (2013-Present)

6. REASON FOR ENTERING
• College Background not like other basetball GMs
• Loved math and sports
• Was a mediocre athlete but loved sports
• With the new era of analytics in basketball, his dream job opened up
• http://www.nba.com/sixers/features/130514-one-on-one-sam-hinkie

7. WHAT DOES HIS WORK ENTAIL?
• As a “new age GM”, he incorpates aspects of scouting with analytics
• Makes trades
• Responsible for Business and Financial aspects
• Public Face of the team
• Main Job: Managing day-to-day operations and long- and short-term strategic planning
• Surrounding themselves with staff
• Works 60 hours per week
• Rebuilding and keeping fans coming
• Tanking?

8. ADVICE
• Patience
• I tell people that I think a lot of it is where does your self-worth come from? Do you
need people every day telling you you're doing well?" Hinkie said. "Do you need the
masses every day telling you that they agree with you, or do you have some higher
purpose in life?“
• “It means a lot about how you think about the world. This is what we're going to do,
this is our plan. Until the first two-hour period in which it doesn't work. Then we're
going to change our plan," Hinkie said. "What a lot of people can't live with is 'I'm
going to do this, and then if the first three returns aren't positive I'm going to
switch.'

9. JANE SINGER
Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications and Public Relations
IMG Worldwide

10. SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF
CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC
RELATIONS
As a Senior VP, he/she must:
• develop a simple, compelling strategy to project the company’s ideology, resources,
experiences, capabilities, and vision nationally and globally;
• be able to show leadership skills that could direct the company and its entities;
• be able to resolve challenges with colleagues, management, and subordinates in a productive
way;
• be able to work with other divisions of the company;
• be able to manage the division’s resources (e.g. the staff) to satisfy the agency-client
objectives;
• demonstrate the company’s ethics, vision, and values in work;

11. MORE ABOUT JANE SINGER
• Jane Singer, aged 53, is a big tennis fan, an Apple (brand) lover, and
an admirer of Andrea Jung (Avon Products) and Omar Minaya (New
York Mets)
• She worked in consumer products in 1990s as a part of the
management team that had to close down. The experience had taught
her how to avoid the same mistakes in the future;
• What she considered her biggest professional accomplishment was
when she helped some entrepreneurial business leaders understand
the value of their work;

12. CAREER PATH
• Singer graduated at University of Denver with a Bachelor of Arts in Marketing in
1975; and in 1977, she got her M.B.A. in Quantitative Analysis and Marketing from
the University of Cincinnati;
• Her first job was being a student intern at Burke Marketing Research;
• In 1995, Singer was inducted into the Academy of Women Achievers;
• Prior to joining IMG, Singer had worked for The Thomson Corp. for 6 years as Vice
President, Corporate Communications, strategically developing a brand for
Thomson to maximize its value as a company;
• Prior to Thomson, Singer was also the Vice President, Marketing and
Communications for LAI Worldwide

13. ADVICE
• Do not be afraid to take risks. Sometimes the biggest risk
you take can lead you closer to your chosen career;
• Learn from experience! Learning some important lessons
can help you try to avoid the same mistakes in the future;

14. PEOPLE WITH SIMILAR JOB TITLE

15. REFERENCES
• http://www.libertyballers.com/2013/10/31/5046996/76ers-sixers-gm-sam-hinkie-interview-
nba-draft
• http://www.libertyballers.com/2014/9/30/6871515/for-sam-hinkie-self-worth-doesnt-come-
from-public-opinion
• http://newsok.com/how-sam-hinkie-went-from-marlow-to-general-manager-of-the-philadelphia-
76ers/article/3939881
• http://www.sportscareers.com/sports-career-spotlight.asp?id=110
• http://work.chron.com/role-general-manager-nba-9874.html