March is Women’s History Month, and we’re excited to celebrate incredible women making an impact in leadership. Mary Kang, MHRIR 21, Chief People Officer at OnMed, has built an impressive career in HR, marked by resilience, growth, and a commitment to servant leadership.
Learning Through Challenges
Mary’s career has had its ups and downs, but each moment has shaped her into the leader she is today. After spending a decade at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), she led the company through its final chapter after being acquired by NASDAQ in 2016, an experience she describes as one of the most challenging of her career. But it also taught her emotional resilience and adaptability, lessons that would serve her well in her future roles.
In 2017, she took on a global HR operations role at NASDAQ, leading high-impact projects like implementing Workday across a 4,000+ employee organization. It was a defining moment, proving that the best practices she learned at a smaller firm could be applied at scale. Mary was very humble about the experience and still remembers the same day her two-level promotion at NASDAQ was announced, she had accepted a job offer with KIND Snacks. “It was bittersweet,” Mary recalled, “but I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything else.”
Leading with Purpose
At the core of Mary’s leadership style is a strong belief in servant leadership. She’s passionate about building strong, supportive teams and believes in putting people first.
“A leader can’t be successful without their team succeeding first.”
Mary Kang, Chief People Officer, OnMed
Her philosophy extends beyond her own career as she’s an advocate for early career development. “We’ve come a long way, but there’s still work to do,” she said, emphasizing the need for more investment in education and mentorship. Mary, along with several LER alums, recently joined our inaugural Online Advisory Committee and she is looking forward to supporting the next generation of students as they pursue their career journey.
Advice for Future Leaders
One of the most impactful pieces of advice Mary has received came from an LER alum and her first manager, Jacqueline Gaillard, AM 80. On her first day at work, Jacqueline told her, “Don’t compare yourself to others. Focus on doing your best work, and the recognition and rewards will come.” This simple yet profound advice has stayed with Mary throughout her career, helping her navigate challenges and stay focused on personal growth rather than external comparisons. She has passed along this advice to many of her direct reports and other people along her leadership journey.
For those looking to break into executive roles, Mary’s top advice is to consider an executive coach. She credits her own coach with helping her step out of her comfort zone and navigate career challenges. “My coach told me the difficult things I needed to hear,” Mary said.
Looking ahead, she hopes that women in leadership become so normalized that we no longer have to call it out. “Leadership should be about vision, integrity, and inspiring others, not about gender.”
We’re proud to celebrate leaders like Mary Kang during this Women’s History Month and every month. Her journey is a great reminder that resilience, grit, growth, and a people-first mindset can take you far.