People on the Move 11 October 2026

Thales appoints new Singapore country director: Thales has appointed Derek Cheng as Country Director for Thales Singapore and as Chief Executive Officer for Thales Solutions Asia. Cheng succeeds Emily Tan who is leaving the Group to take on a new challenge. As Country Director and CEO, Cheng will lead over 2,000 Thales employees and drive the company’s growth across four sites in Singapore, including the Group’s largest multi-module Digital Identity & Security manufacturing centre located at Ayer Rajah Crescent, and the Group’s largest avionics production and Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul (MRO) facility at Changi North Rise. Prior to joining Thales, Cheng was Vice-President & Head of Commercial Asia-Pacific at Vertical Aerospace, where he built the company’s Advanced Air Mobility business from the ground up, leading all commercial, business development, and strategic partnership activities across the Asia-Pacific region. Before that, Cheng held a series of senior leadership roles at Airbus, based in Toulouse and Singapore, including Head of Asia-Pacific for Airbus Urban Mobility, and subsequently Head of Asia-Pacific for Government & Public Affairs and Strategic Partnerships, where he drove regional business development strategy, international cooperation, industrial and sustainable aviation partnerships. GDAT appoints Joseph Kearton as CEO of GDAT Global: GDAT Global, the international operations arm of GDAT Group (GDAT), announced the appointment of Joseph Kearton as Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective 1 October 2026. GDAT Global is GDAT’s international arm. It will serve operators, governments and humanitarian organisations outside China, drawing on the group’s experience in offshore, search and rescue (SAR), helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) and humanitarian missions, and working to the highest international standards. Kearton has spent much of his career in the helicopter industry, alongside experience in oil and gas. He previously worked at NHV, the North Sea helicopter operator, supporting offshore operations internationally, and has extensive experience across Africa and Asia. Most recently he was a member of the senior leadership team at GD Helicopter Finance (GDHF), the Dublin-based helicopter leasing company and sister company of GDAT. Peter Jiang, owner and Chairman of GDAT Group, said: “I have appointed Joseph because of his deep understanding of the helicopter industry and his focus on customers and safety. He knows the operators, the missions and the markets we are entering. With Joseph leading GDAT Global, we will take the capability GDAT has built in offshore, SAR, HEMS and humanitarian operations to customers around the world.” Lufthansa Technik appoints new leaders in Puerto Rico and Budapest: Lufthansa Technik has completed two leadership transitions within its global base maintenance network. Blanca Burgos has been appointed Managing Director of Lufthansa Technik Puerto Rico, while Johannes Rotter has taken over as Managing Director of Lufthansa Technik Budapest. Blanca Burgos has been serving as Managing Director of Lufthansa Technik Puerto Rico since September, leading the company based in Aguadilla. She joined Lufthansa Technik from FEAM Aero, where she was Director of Account Management. With more than 30 years of experience in MRO operations, she has held technical and leadership positions at Delta Air Lines and FEAM Aero. Blanca Burgos succeeds Joerg Speri, who joined Austrian Airlines as Vice President Technical Division. Johannes Rotter assumed the role of Managing Director of Lufthansa Technik Budapest in August. He previously spent more than 20 years with Austrian Airlines, most recently as Head of Maintenance. Throughout his career, he has led numerous Operational Excellence and digitalization initiatives and developed extensive expertise in aircraft maintenance, engineering and international project management. Johannes Rotter succeeds Thoralf Wagner, who took on the role of Head of Technical Fleet Management at SWISS. For Editorial Inquiries Contact: Editor Matt Driskill at [email protected] For Advertising Inquiries Contact: Head of Sales Sally Passey at [email protected]