News
Women in New Manufacturing Innovation Spotlight: Nana Tseng
Nana Tseng's path to Chief Procurement Officer at onsemi started long before her MBA at MIT Sloan—it began with a childhood spanning Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, and the U.S., which taught her to read context and build trust across cultures. So what does it take to lead a multibillion-dollar global supply chain through an era where old, cost-driven models no longer apply? For Tseng, the answer lies in regionalization, deep partnerships across Asia, and a career built on bold pivots—including her own leap from VP of Sales at ASE into procurement leadership.
Women in New Manufacturing Innovation Spotlight: Geraldine McGinty
How do you transform a medical specialty into a force for environmental and social change? Dr. McGinty has spent her career doing exactly that — initiating the American College of Radiology's environmental focus, co-founding Radiologists for a Sustainable Future, and championing imaging innovations now used in industrial manufacturing worldwide. In this interview, she opens up about the real challenges of immigrating to the US medical system, why only 15% of healthcare CEOs being women is a problem she takes personally, and how she is actively working to change it. Read more about Dr. McGinty and her story here.
GWA Roundtable in DC: New Manufacturing Innovation
Manufacturing is entering a new era, and the shift is not just about technology—it is about redesigning jobs, skills, and pathways into the industry. The question is whether people will be equipped—and invited—to participate in this transition. To this end, GWA hosted a roundtable discussion in DC, sponsored by Foxconn, that convened business representatives and policy experts to discuss the future of new manufacturing innovation and the social impacts it will have.
Women in New Manufacturing Innovation Spotlight: Lynda Cheng
How do you build trust across borders in one of the world's most regulated and relationship-driven industries? For Lynda Cheng, SVP of Asia Sales at GA Telesis, one of the world’s most regulated and relationship-driven industries—aerospace, it starts with treating every customer like a trusted friend. Over a 20-year career, she leveraged her dual US-China perspective, driving GA Telesis's expansion across the Asia-Pacific region, including launching a successful joint venture in Beijing, by blending deep aviation expertise with a people-first approach that connects cultural and corporate divides.
Global Women Asia Welcomes Renu Bhatia and Jonathan Friedland to the Board!
Global Women Asia is proud to announce Renu Bhatia and Jonathan Friedland as the newest members of its Board of Directors. Renu, Co-Founder of Opharmic Technology and former Chair of the Listing Committee for the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, brings over 25 years of expertise across healthcare, finance, and technology. Jonathan, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and former Chief Communications Officer at Netflix, contributes deep experience in global media and corporate communications across Asia and Latin America. GWA is honored to have both Renu and Jonathan on our team to help strengthen GWA’s mission and values.
Global Women Asia Fellows and Advisors Convene with Former U.S. Ambassadors in Singapore
On May 1, Global Women Asia’s Singapore-based fellows and advisors gathered for a luncheon with founder @WenchiYu and two distinguished former U.S. ambassadors, @PhilVerveer and @MelanneVerveer, for a wide-ranging conversation on the geopolitical shifts, technological disruptions, and economic forces reshaping our world. The discussion focused on some of today’s most pressing challenges and bright spots, and on sharing views between Southeast Asia and the United States.
Women in New Manufacturing Innovation Spotlight: Telle Whitney
Who decides which voices get to shape the future of technology? Telle Whitney spent two decades designing silicon chips before applying that same architectural logic to something far more complex — transforming the systems holding women back. As CEO of the Anita Borg Institute, she grew the organization from $1 million to $22 million by reframing diversity not as charity, but as a business strategy. With AI shaping our future, she argues that who builds these systems isn't just a diversity question — it's a defining ethical question of this era. Read more about Telle and her story here.
Women in New Manufacturing Innovation Spotlight: Ellen Chang
What does the future of deep tech investment look like— and who is building the infrastructure to get there? With geopolitical pressures and supply chain fragility reshaping the defense, aerospace, and autonomous systems landscape, Ellen Chang is redefining how private capital, engineering expertise, and cross-sector vision work together. Read more about Ellen's story and her impact here.
Women in New Manufacturing Innovation Spotlight: Dr. Blinda Changkajonsakdi
What does the future of new manufacturing look like in Thailand—and who are the faces driving that transformation? As “Thailand 4.0” brings AI, automation, and innovation to the forefront, leaders like Dr. Changkajonsakdi are redefining how industry, academia, and global partnerships work together. How can cross-border collaboration unlock new opportunities, and what does it mean for the next generation of manufacturing? Read more about Blinda’s story and her impact here.
Women in New Manufacturing Innovation Spotlight: Huey Chin (Enid) Tsai
As Taiwan continues to lead in precision engineering and manufacturing, a new wave of leadership is redefining what innovation looks like. Huey Chin (Enid) Tsai is at the forefront of that initiative, advancing ESG projects and smart manufacturing while advocating for more inclusive leadership in a traditionally male-dominated industry. How is Taiwan strengthening its global edge, and what role do women play in shaping its future? Read more about Enid’s story and her impact here.
New Manufacturing Innovation, New Opportunities for Leadership
Manufacturing is entering a transformative phase known as New Manufacturing, where technologies such as artificial intelligence, automation, advanced materials, and digital design are reshaping how industries create value.
Asia has emerged as the central driver of this transformation. An often overlooked advantage behind this momentum is Asia’s strong female talent pipeline in STEM fields, with several economies reporting high shares of female researchers and science graduates.
While women are well represented in universities and research roles, they are still underrepresented in executive positions across the technology and manufacturing sectors. Global Women Asia (GWA) works to bridge this gap by supporting female innovators and connecting them to leadership opportunities shaping the future of New Manufacturing.
Celebrating IWD: GWA Fellows Online Reunion
To celebrate International Women’s Day, Global Women Asia hosted its first ever online reunion of fellows. Bringing together leaders across fields of Sustainability, STEM, and Health Innovation, GWA continues to foster a global network of leaders working to address the world’s most pressing challenges. Nominate a fellow to help invest in the next generation of leaders.
GWA and Stanford University’s Taiwan Hub Roundtable: New Manufacturing Innovation
Global Women Asia co-hosted a roundtable with Stanford University’s Taiwan Hub, convening tech leaders, investors, and researchers to discuss New Manufacturing Innovation in Asia. As we continue exploring the relationship between humans and technology during the fourth industrial revolution, we invite you to nominate women for the New Manufacturing Innovation Fellowship.
GWA Roundtables in Asia: New Manufacturing Innovation
As GWA introduces our 2026 focus theme of New Manufacturing Innovation, we kicked off January with a series of roundtable discussions in Singapore, Shenzhen, and Taipei.
Building the Future of Health Innovation: 2025 GWA Fellowship Program Review
From November 5-8, Global Women Asia hosted its annual Fellowship Summit. This year, the theme was Women in Health Innovation, and the program took place in Boston, Massachusetts. With visits to MIT Whitehead, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Takeda, Massachusetts General Hospital, and more, the week was full of learning, leadership building, and forming lasting bonds.
Women Shaping Health Innovation at U.K. House of Lords
At its September 17 gathering in London, Global Women Asia (GWA) reaffirms a mission that feels both urgent and fragile: creating bridges across borders at a time when long-held values around gender equality are under pressure. The idea is simple but ambitious: if global challenges are to be met with credible answers, they need the perspectives of those who live closest to the problems.
GWA Learns: Building Bridges Through Mentorship
From January to June 2025, Global Women Asia piloted GWA Learns: a two-tier program centered on creating valuable mentor-mentee relationships between volunteer Advisors and 2023-2024 Fellows and university students who were part of the Foundness Hatch Accelerator program. We explored how structured mentorship can accelerate learning and leadership at every career stage.
Women in Health Innovation Spotlight: Kyna Fong
Kyna Fong is the CEO and co-founder of Elation Health, the largest and most-trusted clinical technology platform for primary care in the U.S.. A Harvard and Stanford-trained health economist with years of experience working in her father's primary care practice, Kyna built Elation to help clinicians in delivering high-value personalized care. Recognized by Inc. Magazine, Goldman Sachs, Rock Health, and Fierce Healthcare, Kyna is a leading voice in primary care innovation and advocacy.
Her writing has been featured in Harvard Business Review, Forbes, and Fast Company and she has presented at major conferences including ViVE, HLTH, and the Primary Care for America Summit. Today, Elation’s AI-powered EHR and billing solutions support 40,000 clinical users, caring for over 21 million patients.
Women in Health Innovation Spotlight: Nora Hobbs
Nora Hobbs is the World Food Programme’s Regional Nutrition Advisor for the Asia Pacific area, where she provides strategic and technical leadership surrounding nutrition outcomes. She has researched nutritional deficiencies across sex and age and is currently based in Bangkok, Thailand.
GWA Welcomes The Honorable Erika Moritsugu to the Board!
Global Women Asia (GWA) is delighted to announce Erika L. Moritsugu as the newest member of its Board of Directors. Erika brings valuable experience as the Deputy Assistant to President Biden and the Asian American and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Senior Liaison at the White House. GWA is honored to have Erika on our team and looks forward to her leadership in strengthening GWA’s efforts to build leadership with Asian perspectives.