100 of the Most Influential Women in Sport >> Boardroom & Administration

Kim Ng, USA

Senior vice-president for baseball operations in MLB

The highest ranking woman in MLB, it would seem only a matter of time before Kim Ng becomes the first female General Manager of a baseball franchise. Working in sport was never the plan, though. Only after writing a thesis on gender equality in federal law while at university did her horizons expand, and she began her career as an intern with the Chicago White Sox. In the 30 years since, Ng has played a key role in the analytics revolution within baseball, both for ball clubs such as the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers, as well as for the league itself. Her current role includes growing the game abroad through talent development in countries such as India, China and Mexico.

– At 26 years old in 1996, Ng became the youngest person to present a salary arbitration case saving the White Sox $650,000 in the process.

– Appointed assistant general manager at the Yankees in 1998, and not only became one of three women to have ever held the role, but was the youngest across both genders at the time.

– Ng has reportedly applied for nine top baseball operations positions, but has so far been knocked back for each one.

Did you know…

Ng is of Vietnamese origin and her surname is pronounced as ‘Ang’.

“This game is so humbling. I make no pretenses about who I am or what I’m going to be … I don’t know if I’ll ever get there. But people know they can get to where I am.” – Kim Ng