Women in New Manufacturing Innovation Spotlight: Lynda Cheng
Lynda Cheng is the Senior Vice President of Asia Sales within the Flight Solutions Group at GA Telesis, a global commercial aviation leader that supports airlines and lessors with parts, maintenance, and financing across the entire life cycle of aircraft and engines. With a career spanning over two decades, she has been the driving force behind the company’s massive expansion across the Asia-Pacific region, including her critical role in launching GAIC Innovation, a joint venture based in Beijing. Lynda has powerfully leveraged her cross-cultural fluency and deep expertise in asset management, supply chain sales, and MRO (Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul) support to build strong customer relationships and help shape the future of the aviation aftermarket.
1. GA Telesis often refers to its 'Ecosystem' of integrated aviation services. From your perspective as SVP of Asia Sales, how has the transition from traditional 'parts selling' to a data-driven, 'circular economy' manufacturing model changed the way you support your customers in the Asia-Pacific region?
Our industry has undergone a profound transformation, moving away from pure "parts selling" to providing comprehensive, full-wing services. Previously, selling parts was largely a one-time transaction followed by basic after-sales support, which left the customer bearing the risks of inventory and malfunction entirely on their own. Today, empowered by big data, we utilize new models—such as Flight Hour Services (FHS), Power-By-the Hour (PBH) agreements, pooling, asset leasing, and exchanges—to support our customers in every possible aspect. Data has enabled us to shift our approach from merely reactive support to highly predictive and preventive solutions. Because of this shift, we have cultivated deeply rooted, long-term partnerships. By alleviating our customers' operational burdens and sharing in their ecosystem, we have created a positive cycle that drives continuous and consistent business for everyone involved.
This evolution naturally aligns with the circular economy, which is the very foundation of the full-lifecycle ecosystem we advocate. From buying, leasing, and remarketing older aircraft and engines, to providing Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) services, Used Serviceable Material (USM), and digital solutions, we cover the entire spectrum. In the Asia-Pacific region specifically, the demand for these full-lifecycle, one-stop solutions is flourishing. It is incredibly rewarding to integrate our expertise into this market.
2. What were the biggest challenges—either cultural or operational—in bridging the gap between American corporate structures and the Chinese aviation market, and how did your personal background help you navigate those moments?
The greatest challenge in bridging this gap is navigating a combination of rigid regulatory friction and deep-rooted cultural differences in decision-making. On the regulatory side, we face largely uncontrollable forces like tariffs, geopolitical tensions, and the differing compliance standards of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). Culturally, the contrast is just as stark: American corporate structure tends to get straight to the point, relies heavily on data, and is highly risk-averse. On the other hand, the Chinese market is more reserved in its communication, relies on relationships and trusted recommendations, and requires a certain flexibility when handling difficult situations.
Because our company did not initially have direct operational experience in China, I was able to serve as that necessary bridge. I brought a dual US-China perspective, fluency in both languages, thorough understanding of traditional culture and over 20 years of experience in aviation digitalization and the circular economy. But beyond the technical expertise, my approach is fundamentally about building trust. I treat my customers like good friends, ensuring we respond to their needs promptly and properly. Over the years, this strong customer-first mindset has allowed my local team and me to effectively become the 'name card' for GA Telesis in China and the broader Asia-Pacific region.
3. In an industry as 'heavy' and physical as aviation MRO (Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul), how do you see digital transformation and AI impacting the supply chain, as well as the way you lead your team?
Big data and AI are fundamentally transforming the aviation industry at an unprecedented pace. In the supply chain, this technology is revolutionizing how we manage demand and cost. By integrating historical, seasonal, and market data, AI-driven forecasting has significantly increased our inventory turnover while reducing both overstock and shortages. For our sales and sourcing teams, data intelligence and automated tools have brought new levels of transparency and efficiency to our contracts. When you combine this with intelligent warehousing and predictive maintenance across the industry, we are seeing much more stable, predictable parts demand from our customers, which is incredibly conducive to our business.
As a leader, however, I view AI as a revolutionary tool that requires a balanced approach. Its greatest advantage is raw productivity—automated systems can work around the clock to reduce human error and drive efficiency. But AI's limitations cannot be ignored; it is only as good as the data we feed it. We should involve in data setup process to understand data origin and data selection. I constantly remind my team that human-machine collaboration is the future. We must fully leverage AI tools to maximize our operational efficiency, but we must reserve our human energy for what machines cannot do: providing empathy, building trust, and delivering customer service with genuine warmth.
4. The aviation and manufacturing sectors have traditionally been male-dominated. Throughout your 20-year career, were there specific strategies you used to establish your authority in the room, and what are some of your core principles when it comes to mentoring the next generation of female workers and leaders?
In a traditionally male-dominated industry, I relied on four core strategies to establish my authority. First, I made it a point to become a 'living encyclopedia' for the Asia-Pacific market, mastering everything from inventory and regulations to nuanced customer needs. But knowledge alone isn't enough; you must deliver. By remaining agile and consistently solving complex problems that others couldn't handle, the results—and the revenue—spoke for themselves. Furthermore, the aviation community is incredibly small, so fiercely guarding your reputation is important. By treating customers as trusted friends and focusing on long-term relationships, I essentially became the 'living name card' for the company in this region. I integrate customer resources to link a customer demand with a whole network to create synergy. Authority naturally follows trust. Last but not least, willing to try and fail, not afraid of conflict which would be a highly potential opportunity for success. I focus on coming up with solutions best for customer and company with long-term vision instead of paying attention to gender in the male-dominated aviation industry and trapped in short-term benefits.
When I mentor the next generation of female professionals, I focus on passing down these exact principles. I tell them that their most crucial credential is their professional competence, not their gender or their ability to be accommodating. I encourage them to build irreplaceable expertise and to earn respect through capability alone. Just as importantly, women must be willing to aggressively advocate for themselves. I teach them to clearly ask for resources and opportunities, and to set firm boundaries without feeling forced to compromise simply because society expects women to be 'gentle.'
Furthermore, I constantly remind them to have a long-term outlook. Women face unique, intersecting pressures regarding age, family, and career pacing, but a career is a marathon, not a sprint. Maintaining a steady pace of growth is far more valuable than stressing over short-term gains. Most importantly, I emphasize that they do not have to navigate this alone. By supporting each other, sharing experiences, and endorsing one another, we prove that while an individual can be strong, a unified group of women can achieve so much more.
5. Given the current global shortage of technical professionals, what do you think is the most important 'soft skill' or mindset shift that young women should develop today to be successful in the future of aerospace manufacturing?
To achieve long-term growth in a highly regulated, global industry like aerospace—especially amidst a talent shortage and rapid digitalization—young women must focus on four core areas. The first is cultivating 'moderately firm' negotiation and cross-cultural communication. It is crucial to maintain objective composure and never back down in dominant corporate cultures. While women often possess inherent strengths in empathy and active listening, these traits must be upgraded from mere 'friendliness' to 'professional persuasiveness.' You must learn to seamlessly translate technical and compliance constraints into actionable business language.
The second essential shift is developing agile data literacy. You do not need to become a programmer, but you must adopt a data-driven mindset—learning to trust the metrics over pure intuition. In an era defined by AI and evolving systems, your ability to adapt and learn quickly will be your ultimate competitive advantage. You need to keep yourself updated about technical evolution and new regulations rules, more importantly what they mean for customer in daily operations. Speaking big data technical terms does not generate benefits both for customer and company. By “interpreting” with case study, you speak vivid language to create cognitive connection and let customer understand technical and regulation updates.
The third area, never underestimate the power of strategic trust. Aviation is an industry built on long cycles; airworthiness, safety, and supplier stability all rely entirely on your reputation. Women generally have a natural advantage in relationship-building, but this skill must be professionalized. By consistently keeping your promises, maintaining firm professional boundaries, and actively creating value, you will build the kind of unquestionable, long-term credibility that outlasts any short-term business tactic.
Finally, female should have personal hobby, which is essential to explore your passion, bring joy to your life, serve as an outlet for inner peace and achieve work-life balance. For me, during leisure time, I love travel and climbing mountains.
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