FT selects 25 people including Jensen Huang as 'Person of the Year'… Korean-American businesswoman Michele Kang included

Jensen Huang, who led the AI era, selected as FT 'Person of the Year'

Michele Kang, who wrote a new formula for the women's sports industry

The British daily Financial Times (FT) on the 5th (local time) selected Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, and Korean-American businesswoman Michele Kang, chair of Olympique Lyon, among 25 people who exerted influence this year.

Jensen Huang was highly praised for growing Nvidia into a core company of the AI infrastructure ecosystem based on graphics processing units (GPUs), which have become the standard chips of the AI era.

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, who wrote the recommendation for him, introduced him by saying, "Jensen was early confident in a new computing architecture, and by putting the whole of Nvidia on that vision he built the foundation for the amazing digital intelligence we enjoy today."

He added, "What's more remarkable is the way he has realized that vision—deep technical insight, relentless drive, and a firm commitment to invest in infrastructure from a long-term perspective."

Also on the list was Michele Kang, a Korean-American businesswoman who founded healthcare IT company Cognosante and has recently focused on the women's soccer industry, acquiring several women's professional soccer clubs.

She began with the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) Washington Spirit in February 2022, and in 2023 she went on to acquire and run England's Women's Championship (second tier) London City Lionesses and Olympique Lyon Féminin, among others.

Chelsea Clinton, daughter of former US President Bill Clinton and vice chair of the Clinton Foundation, said in a recommendation, "Whenever Michele invested in the Washington Spirit and several European clubs, she recognized something others overlooked: women's sports are a growth industry, not a cause."

She emphasized, "Michele's success is rewriting the old formula and shows that investing in women is by no means a gamble but a win."

Other names on FT's 'Person of the Year' list included Susie Wiles, White House chief of staff; Stella Li, BYD global executive vice president; Joran Mamdani, New York mayor-elect; Peter Thiel, founder of PayPal and Palantir; golf star Rory McIlroy; and actress Jane Fonda.

FT explained that it selected individuals who change the world through talent, discovery, ideas, and action in the fields of politics, business, media, arts, and sports.

Yu Ji-hee, Hankyung.com reporter keephee@hankyung.com