Michele Kang (born June 1, 1959), also known by her Korean name Yongmi Kang, is a 66-year-old Korean American businesswoman. She has been named the new president of Olympique Lyonnais, a men’s professional football club in France, amid its ongoing financial crisis.
The club’s holding company, Eagle Football Group, announced on June 30 (local time) that Michele Kang will serve as Lyon’s new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Lyon, a prestigious team that won the French Ligue 1 title for seven consecutive seasons from 2001–2002, has produced star players such as Karim Benzema and Juninho. However, an audit by the DNCG (Direction Nationale du Contrôle de Gestion, France’s football financial watchdog) found that under the lax management of American businessman John Textor, the club violated financial regulations and was relegated to Ligue 2 (Second Division).
Following John Textor’s resignation, Kang, who has served on Lyon’s board since 2023, assumed leadership to spearhead the club’s appeal against relegation. Reports state that of the club’s total debt of 786 billion KRW (approximately $582 million USD), at least 279 billion KRW (approximately $207 million USD) must be repaid to remain in Ligue 1.
Kang, the daughter of former National Assembly member Yoonja Lee, who contributed to advancing women’s rights, studied at Sogang University before moving to the United States in 1981. She graduated with a degree in economics from the University of Chicago and earned a master’s degree from Yale University. In 2008, she founded Cognosante, a public-sector healthcare consulting firm in Falls Church, Virginia, achieving significant success. According to Forbes, her net worth is estimated at 1.63 trillion KRW (approximately $1.2 billion USD). Forbes also reported that during Korea’s military dictatorship in the 1980s, Kang persuaded her parents that paying for college was more important than saving for marriage.
Kang once admitted that she “didn’t even know who Lionel Messi (Argentina) was.” However, after meeting the U.S. women’s national soccer team in 2019, she felt there was insufficient support for women’s soccer and saw its growth potential. As an immigrant who achieved the American Dream, she decided to create equal opportunities for women and the poor.
Starting with her 2022 acquisition of the Washington Spirit in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), she went on to own London City Lionesses in England’s second-tier women’s championship and Olympique Lyonnais Féminin. Last year, she established Kyniska Sports International, the world’s first multi-club global organization focused on professionalizing women’s football.
In November 2024, Kang donated $30 million USD over five years to the U.S. Soccer Federation’s women and girls programs, marking the largest contribution in its history. Her total investment in women’s soccer is known to exceed $200 million USD.
Nicknamed the “Mansour of women’s football,” after Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan (55), UAE Vice President and owner of Manchester City, foreign media have described her as “a powerhouse shaking up global women’s football.” Kang has now expanded into men’s football as well.
