The boss is her now. The American Michele Kang became this first woman president of Olympique Lyonnais on Monday, replacing her compatriot John Textor whose management led OL to demotion in Ligue 2 by the DNCG, responsible for validating the accounts of French professional clubs. The 66 -year -old businesswoman is also now the CEO of Eagle Football Group, of which she has already been the administrator since 2023.
In Lyon, Michele Kang is not a stranger. The one who lives in Florida returned to the world of French sport two years ago by buying the Women’s Section of OL. She has since renamed Ol Lyonnes, to distinguish herself from the male team, to make it one of the Kynisca satellites, its structure devoted to female sport, with the Washington Spirit in the United States and the London City Lionesses in the United Kingdom.
$ 1.2 billion in fortune
Her clubs, she bought them with her fortune, estimated today at $ 1.2 billion and shaped through a trajectory worthy of the American dream. Born in South Korea in 1959, Michele Kang, whose real name is Yongmee, came to the United States for her studies.
After a license in economics in Chicago and a master’s degree at the prestigious University of Yale, she went through the consulting firm Ernst & Young and then founded Cognosis in 2008. The company, which notably provides technological solutions for the American government in terms of health, was sold last year to the world giant Accenture.
Michele Kang recognizes it without problem: she is not passionate about the early sports. “I did not know who was Leo Messi, and now here I am,” she quips in a portrait devoted to him by Forbes this month. Her favorite for women’s football dates from the title of the Americans at the 2019 World Cup organized in France.
But the emerging interest quickly gained momentum. First with the Spirit of Washington, then with OL. “It is not only a question of winning trophies, but also of raising the level and professionalizing even more women’s football,” she explained shortly after her arrival at the controls of the overtime winners of the Champions League.
“Someone ambitious, with a project and clear ideas”
“I met someone ambitious, with a project and clear ideas, explained in May 2024 to the Parisian-today in France its director general in the Rhône, Vincent Ponsot. Michele Kang has a multi -clullet structure at the service of women’s football and women. It is a global accelerator for the development of this football. She wants young girls to have the same conditions of access to success as boys. »»
She uses her fortune to boost female sport. Gives four million dollars to the American rugby federation after the bronze of the Septist at the Paris Olympics. Or 30 million to his football counterpart for projects related to the field that is close to his heart. In addition to her clubs in which she invests massively.
“It is not charity,” says the one who believes in a return on investment. My mission is to prove that it is a good deal. Not just a matter, but a good deal. »»
Here it is now in charge of a male club whose financial commitments have not convinced the financial gendarmes of French football. Michele Kang has only a few weeks to save Lyon from Ligue 2.. “We are entering a critical period for OL,” she said in the club statement on Monday.
A challenge that Michelle Kang will try to take up. She whose determination amazes those who meet her. “When she enters a room, she dominates,” explains the legend of the NBA Magic Johnson, who invested in her franchise in Washington. It is difficult, especially in a context dominated by men. »»
Worth a look
