Profile: Karen Kang – Centralized Administrative Services

Karen Kang

A/SLt Wen Guo
Base Administration
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Karen Kang’s career with the Department of National Defence started at age 22 when she took a break from pursuing her degree.

It was 2003 when she started as a temporary administration clerk at CFB Esquimalt. She fit right in and immediately knew she had found a lifetime career.

“At the end of my term, there was a position available and my supervisor, Mrs. Marian Cranston, was supportive in me taking the vacancy within the department. I took it because I genuinely enjoyed the people I worked with and the benefits that were available.”

Over the past 18 years, she worked to advance her career and now holds the position of Business Manager of Centralized Administrative Services. Managing a team of 23 staff members, she supports the Base Administration Officer’s corporate functions in human resources, finance, administration, operations and training, procurement, and safety.

“We are a large team of 23 members; we take care of each other as well as hold each other accountable while following the motto: people first, mission always. Our department is a large team, and we help each other out to meet our goals. I find it helpful for my team members when they are given autonomy and allowed to focus on their priorities within their job.” 

She encourages her team to think outside of the box, be pragmatic, and put themselves in their clients’ shoes.

She learned from senior leadership that taking care of staff should always be a top priority.

“The command team has always promoted work-life balance; they focus on staff’s mental well-being. Especially during the past year of COVID 19, our senior leadership’s support has been felt greatly as they stood behind everyone and are willing and ready to respond to the needs and wants of the team.”

Senior leadership enabled her to take care of her priority – her family.

“My children Taranjot and Tejal, both nine, are my greatest inspiration and the reason behind a lot of my decisions at work.”

She has had many mentors during her career, including Julie Eustace and Colonel (now retired) Paul Crober.

“Under Julie’s mentorship, she helped me prepare for unexpected events that might alter the course of my career progression and to come up with contingency plans. In my role as an executive assistant during Joint Task Force Games in 2010, while working with Colonel Barr and Colonel Crober, I learned the importance of being open minded and flexible as a leader because every team member is unique and brings their own specific skills. I learned that I must be efficient and straight to the point while working with a large group of people, which later became extremely helpful with managing my team.”

In the coming months, she will use that guidance to improve the overall efficiency of her team as members gradually return to the base.

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