Thales, a France-based defense, aerospace, and digital security company, appointed Derek Cheng as country director for Singapore and CEO of Thales Solutions Asia Pte Ltd, effective October 1, 2026.

Cheng will succeed Emily Tan. He will oversee more than 2,000 employees and operations across four sites in Singapore.

He joins from Vertical Aerospace after earlier roles at Airbus and the Singapore Economic Development Board.

Singapore also selected Thales to deliver its AI-powered air traffic management system.

Singapore’s defense spending is projected by an industry report to rise through 2027 amid military modernization.

A government budget update also highlights plans to strengthen defense and cybersecurity capabilities.

🔗 Source: Thales