Michele Kang Net Worth, Husband, Age, Bio, Soccer

Known as the “godmother of global women’s Soccer,” Michele Kang is a trailblazing owner of women’s sports teams in the US and Europe, a healthcare IT entrepreneur, and a philanthropist, leaving an indelible mark on the global sports and business world in recent years. Born on June 1, 1959, in Seoul as the youngest of three sisters, Michele Kang attended Ewha Womans University and Sogang University’s business school, where she finished her freshman year at the top of her class. However, the 1980 Gwangju Democratization Movement inspired her to study abroad in the United States.

Using her parents’ wedding savings for tuition, she entered the University of Chicago to study economics and later earned her Master’s in Public and Private Management (MPPM, now MBA) at Yale School of Management. At the time, Michele questioned the traditional roles expected of women in Korean society (“You’ll have to quit your job once you get married anyway”), and, encouraged by her father’s belief that “you can do anything a man can do,” she chose a path of breaking through barriers on her own.

After immigrating to the US, Michele Kang built her career across consulting, IT, healthcare, and defense industries. She quickly rose through the ranks, serving as a partner at Ernst & Young and a vice president at Northrop Grumman. In 2008, she founded the healthcare IT company Cognosante in a spare room above her garage, growing it into a key supplier of medical information systems for US federal and state governments.

In 2024, after selling Cognosante to Accenture, she joined the ranks of America’s self-made women billionaires. Following her business success, she turned her attention to women’s sports. In 2022, she acquired the NWSL’s Washington Spirit, becoming the league’s first woman of color majority owner. In 2023, she acquired France’s Olympique Lyonnais Féminin (OL Lyonnes) and the UK’s London City Lionesses, becoming the world’s first to establish a multinational women’s football multi-club system. In 2024, she founded London-based Kynisca, presenting a new model for global women’s sports management.

Aiming to “increase the commercial success and cultural impact of women’s sports,” Michele Kang has invested tens of millions of dollars in player development, professional staff training, and facilities, transforming the landscape of women’s football in the US, France, and the UK. In 2024–2025, she made the largest-ever investment in women’s sports infrastructure, donating $55 million over five years to U.S. Soccer and $4 million to the US women’s rugby national team.

In June 2025, she became the first Korean woman to lead a European men’s professional football club, taking over as president of Olympique Lyonnais and chair of Eagle Football Holdings during a period of crisis for the club. Michele Kang is recognized as a “role model in women’s sports,” a “self-made female CEO,” and a “global philanthropist,” driven by her belief that “women, immigrants, anyone can overcome their own limits.” She has also announced plans to acquire a fourth club on a new continent, leading innovation in the global women’s sports ecosystem.

Michele Kang Profile

English Name: Michele Kang | Legal Name: Yongmee Michele Kang | Korean Name: Kang Yongmee
Date of Birth: June 1, 1959 (Age 66)
Hometown: Seoul | Nationality: South Korea, United States
Current Residence: Washington, D.C., USA; Lyon, France; London, UK
Education: Ewha Womans University, Sogang University (Top of Class, Business, 1st year), B.A. Economics, University of Chicago; Yale School of Management (MPPM)
Family: Spouse — , Children — , Parents —
Affiliations: Kynisca (CEO), Washington Spirit (Owner), OL Lyonnes (Owner), London City Lionesses (Owner)
Debut: 2000 (Vice President, Northrop Grumman), 2008 (Founder, Cognosante), 2022 (Owner, Washington Spirit)
Personal SNS: —

Michele Kang Net Worth, Husband, Age, Bio, Soccer

Michele Kang Net Worth, Husband, Age, Biography

As of 2025, Forbes estimates Michele Kang’s net worth at approximately $1.2 billion (KRW 1.62–1.67 trillion), making her a Korean-American businesswoman and a world-renowned sports team owner. Born in Seoul in 1959, she left Sogang University to study in the US, earning degrees from the University of Chicago and Yale before building her career in IT and healthcare. In 2008, she founded Cognosante, achieving massive success, and secured substantial assets after selling the company to Accenture in 2024.

After entering the US, she worked as a partner at Ernst & Young and vice president at Northrop Grumman, becoming a leader in IT, healthcare, and defense. Cognosante grew into a key supplier of federal and state health information systems, and she sold it to Accenture in 2024. She then entered women’s sports, becoming owner of the Washington Spirit (2022), Olympique Lyonnais Féminin (2023), and London City Lionesses (2023).

In 2024, she founded Kynisca in London, completing her multinational women’s football multi-club system. In June 2025, she became president of the Olympique Lyonnais men’s team and Eagle Football Holdings, entering European men’s professional football management. She continues to expand her influence in sports by acquiring women’s professional football clubs in the US, UK, and France.

As owner and majority shareholder of world-class women’s football teams—Washington Spirit (USA), London City Lionesses (UK), and Olympique Lyonnais Féminin (France)—she also took on the presidency of the Olympique Lyonnais men’s team in July 2025, becoming one of the world’s most prominent women’s sports owners and a major figure in global football.

In 2024, she established a $50 million global investment fund for women’s elite athlete health and performance and donated $30 million to US women’s football and youth programs. After acquiring her clubs, she invested over KRW 73.5 billion in player health, dedicated training facilities, and new stadiums, believing that “women’s football teams deserve the same environment and support as men’s teams.”

By July 2025, as president of Olympique Lyonnais men’s team, she ranked 11th among global women’s sports owners by assets. Since 2024, she has established a $50 million global fund for women’s elite athlete health and performance and donated $30 million to US women’s football and youth programs.

In 2019, Michele Kang purchased a 1,100 m² (approx. 12,000 sq ft) mansion in Washington, D.C.’s Massachusetts Avenue Heights for $8.75 million, listing it for $14.5 million in 2023. She also owns several properties in the US and Europe, including a Palm Beach beachfront condo sold for $15 million in 2022.

Michele Kang: Awards and Honors

2012: 100 Women Leaders in STEM
2015: EY Entrepreneur of The Year (Washington, D.C.)
2016: Top 100 CEO Leaders in STEM
2019: American Free Enterprise Medal
2022: Washington Business Hall of Fame, Lifetime Achievement Award
2022: Sports Business Journal Power Player in Women’s Sports
2023: Horatio Alger Award, Sports Business Journal Deal of the Year
2023: Sports Illustrated 50 Most Influential Figures in Sports
2024: Sports Business Journal Most Influential, Telegraph 50 Most Influential in Sport, Virginia Business Living Legends

2025: SportsPro 10 Influencers, Washington Post 50, TIME 100 Philanthropy List, Forbes Billionaires, Chronicle of Philanthropy America’s Biggest Donors

Michele Kang Husband Robert Kang & Family

Michele Kang (legal name Yongmee Michele Kang) is married to Robert Kang in the United States, and they have two children. The family is known to avoid media exposure, so little is publicly known about Robert Kang, but he is said to have provided significant support for Michele’s business success. She is the youngest of three sisters. Notably, her mother is Lee Yoon-ja, a former member of the Korean National Assembly in the 11th and 13th terms.

Michele Kang Soccer Olympique Lyonnais: A to Z

In June 2025, Michele Kang officially became president of Olympique Lyonnais men’s team and chair of Eagle Football Holdings. She had been active on the Lyon board since 2023 and was officially appointed president at the end of June 2025. Olympique Lyonnais is a prestigious Ligue 1 club, having won seven consecutive league titles from the 2001–2002 season and producing world-class players such as Karim Benzema, Juninho, and Hugo Lloris.

In recent years, however, under the ownership of Eagle Football Group led by American businessman John Textor, the club has suffered from mismanagement and financial difficulties, with debts reaching £422 million (about KRW 780 billion). Due to financial troubles, the club has sold key players, and failure to prove financial improvement led to relegation to Ligue 2 by the French Football Federation. Lyon is currently appealing the decision.

Michele Kang’s global sports management credentials include winning the 2021 NWSL championship with Washington Spirit, becoming club owner in 2022, acquiring French and UK women’s teams in 2023, founding Kynisca in 2024, donating over $75 million to women’s sports, and taking over Olympique Lyonnais men’s team in 2025. Her leadership in Ligue 1 is closely watched.

She plans to continue innovating the global women’s sports ecosystem, investing in athletes, coaches, and infrastructure, and acquiring a fourth club on a new continent to further expand her influence in world sports.

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