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<figure class="wp-block-video"><video autoplay controls src="https://www.igafencu.com/video/2307/2307_GMHK_Interview_Dianachou.mp4"></video></figure>



<p>Prior to the day of our shoot and interview, Diana Chou was flying in and out of Hong Kong on business trips. She is, after all, the founder and Chairman of Dragon General Aviation Group and bespoke private jet charter broker L’VOYAGE. Now in the last season of a soaring aviation-centric career, she knows what she wants and ensures that her actions reflect who she really is. No less, no more. From the wardrobe and makeup to the interview questions, Chou is all about empowerment.</p>



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<p>From the get-go, her strong will is apparent. “I want the interview to focus on my career as a woman in a man’s world,” she instructs us beforehand over the phone. “I want nothing too pretentious where the wardrobe and makeup would not be my style. I want to include my successor, Jolie [Howard, L’VOYAGE CEO], in at least one of the photos. Please.”</p>



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<p>With that settled, Chou is the embodiment of professionalism and enthusiasm as our photo session proceeds as discussed. Dressed in a bright yellow power suit and flashing a firm, warm, sunny smile, she manages to shatter stereotypes of how women should present themselves. She is a potent example of how femininity and authority go hand in hand. Above all, women should not have to shed parts of their identity that they treasure in order to be taken seriously at all times – an ethos that she repeats throughout the day.</p>



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<p>Revealing another facet of her character before sitting down for the interview, she shows us around her office and her own wardrobe of outfits collected on many varied travels. This is her softer, social-butterfly, fashion-loving side, which many might see as a conflict with her forceful, serious, top-flight business persona. Brushing this erroneous, man’s world-imposed contradiction aside, she champions freedom of choice, complexity and the right to be herself without question or scrutiny.</p>


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<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Independent Woman</h3>



<p>Diana Chou was born into aviation royalty. Her brother, Silas Chou, instigated the alliance between Sino Private Aviation (founded by the family in 1998) and Canadian business jet manufacturer Bombardier that continues to this day. Her father, textile magnate K.P. Chao, co-founded Dragonair in 1985.</p>



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<p>“The Chous are visionaries, we have mindsets of our own and like to take risks,” she declares. “When I was a child, I always looked at the sky and imagined I can fly and visit exotic places, meet people and savour different culinary delights. Well, I never dreamt that I could be in the jet-selling business. I guess, when we dare to dream, our dreams do manifest in our lives in one form or another.”</p>



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<p>Growing up in Macau, young Diana had a wholesome, uncomplicated childhood. She attended an all-girls Catholic school where her competitive and studious traits flourished – characteristics that she has carried with her into the present. Significant growth came as part of life’s journey too. A jump from the cosmetics industry to the world of private jets is no usual career path. As radical a shift as beauty to aircraft might have been, she advises young professionals that the world is their oyster. No one else gets to decide their path and they can forge it in whatever direction they want.</p>



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<p>“Before all of this, I was working for Clinique as a Brand Manager, but my brother asked me whether I would like to take up the challenge. I accepted it as it is a lot sexier to sell jets than lipsticks and the basic selling skills and marketing principles are the same. I never looked back.”</p>


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<figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="500" height="750" src="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/ACK3865-copy_p.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-76264" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/ACK3865-copy_p.jpg 500w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/ACK3865-copy_p-200x300.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/ACK3865-copy_p-187x280.jpg 187w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></figure></div>


<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Business Class</h3>



<p>She founded Aerochine Aviation in 1999, adding L’Voyage in 2013 and consultancy Jet8 Aviation five years later. Her groundbreaking role as the first woman to sell private jets in Asia has significantly impacted the rapid rise of the aviation sector over the past 20 years. She recalls that back then, the market was a blank canvas, the stakes were high and the potential was enormous.</p>



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<p>“I told myself if I sell two jets, I will have doubled the market 100%, so I relentlessly started cold-calling all the potential clients on the Forbes list. There was very little information on private jets and the internet was just beginning to take shape,” she says. “Every manufacturer was watching me with curiosity like how this tiny dame with no aviation knowledge can sell a plane. I developed educational tools and came up with an elevated pitch – ‘no money in the world can buy or save you time, but a private jet can’.”</p>



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<p>And so, she took advantage of those years when the Chinese economy began to take flight on its own and incubated a group of new billionaires. She also ventured into helicopter dealerships in China and opened the first wholly foreign-owned helicopter MRO (Maintenance, Repairs and Operations) business using the CEPA (Closer Economic Partnership Agreement) scheme for Hong Kong companies. It proved to be an inspired move and she sold the business to US aerospace manufacturer Bell Textron in early 2020 just before the pandemic struck.</p>


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<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Dream Big, Fly High</h3>



<p>Even as she steps back from her high-flying career, Chou still has her sights on steering Dragon General Aviation to even greater heights. Her knowledge is vast, her intuition immense and her resilience astounding. She may be petite, but she displays incredible strength. Deserving of respect, her achievements have been duly recognised by her peers. She was named Woman Entrepreneur of the Year by the All-China Women’s Federation in 2010 and 2012, and the 2015 Businesswoman Leader of the Year by the Asian Business Aviation Association. She was also the EY Entrepreneural Winning Woman Asia Pacific Class of 2020.</p>



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<p>She is a natural mentor to the next generation of women entrepreneurs. Stressing the important role mentors play in the business world, she notes how they can foster the growth and leadership qualities of talented aspiring individuals.</p>



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<p>“Mentors can also help the mentee to get a fuller picture of their personal life, particularly with budding female entrepreneurs, because mentors have been there, done it and lived through similar family and work challenges,” she says. “We all know subconsciously what is best for us, however having a sounding board like a mentor validates our thoughts and actions. My motto to my mentee is ‘Dream big and fly high’.”</p>


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<p>Quizzed about her greatest strength, Chou answers with characteristic directness: “My greatest strength is my positive view towards life and everything around me. I view failure and challenges as an opportunity to learn and grow. I don’t waste time lamenting the past because I know I can’t change the past, but I can determine my future.”</p>



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<p>In a society where the choice of profession defines people’s life, Diana Chou truly is an inspirational woman. Her ability to ‘fly high’, in what was not so very long ago a man’s world, is a lesson in empowerment and owning one’s choices.</p>



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<p><em>(Interview &amp; Art Direction: Joseff Musa Photographer: Jack Law Videographer: Jack Fontanilla Hair &amp; Makeup: Joenny Lau Venue: L&#8217;VOYAGE Office Jet: Gulfstream G100 &#8211; exclusive aircraft of L’VOYAGE)</em></p>



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<p class="has-text-color" style="color:#ba1414"><strong>Also Read:</strong> <a href="https://igafencu.com/articles/private-jet" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">On the Wings of Luxury: Private jet-setting in elevated style is the hot ticket across a reopened world</a></p>


Run the World: Diana Chou, Chairman of Dragon General Aviation Group, packs her bag with lessons in empowerment and owning one’s choices

<p><iframe loading="lazy" title="Matters of the Art - Amid the ever-changing world of art, Adeline Ooi has stayed true to her heart" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Z53687h6VVw" width="720" height="404" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>How does one represent the Asian art scene? According to Adeline Ooi, Director Asia of Art Basel, it has come a long way, but there’s still a long line to take. “The art scene is ever evolving, so it’s really hard to claim that this is it, we’ve made it,” she says. “But we celebrate each win and I think over the past 10 years, some of the most rewarding aspects of it is watching the art sector grow not only in Hong Kong but across Asia as well.”</p>
<p>With just six weeks before the official opening of Art Basel in Hong Kong [held from 23-25 March], Ooi takes a break in mid-February to talk about matters of the art and of the heart. Arriving in casual clothes and sneakers, it is evident that she does things by her own rules, bringing and selecting clothes from her own wardrobe for the photo shoot. “No heels for me, please,” she advises the production team.</p>
<p><figure id="attachment_70725" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-70725" style="width: 500px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-70725 size-full" src="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/ACK7122_p_rgb-1-e1680755953817.jpg" alt="Adeline Ooi" width="500" height="562"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-70725" class="wp-caption-text">Cetina pinstriped woven vest and nata pinstriped woven wideleg pants by LOULOU STUDIO (courtesy of Net-A-Porter)</figcaption></figure></p>
<p>Of Malaysian descent and raised by parents who worked in the plantation industry, Ooi confesses that her love for art was more slow-burn than an immediate fiery passion. Growing up in rural Malaysia, she wasn’t particular about what she wanted to be – as long as she didn’t end up in a 9-to-5 job. “Gosh, I wanted to be a flight attendant, because as a kid I thought that’s the only way that I’ll get to fly everywhere,” she says with a smile. It was only in her teenage years that she decided to study fine arts at Central Saint Martins in London and ultimately returned to Asia to pursue an art-centric career. Staying true to herself is an Ooi ethos. Although her parents first disagreed with her decision to build a career in the arts, she persisted, working at Valentine Willie Fine Art and co-founding the RogueArt cultural agency in Kuala Lumpur.</p>
<p><figure id="attachment_70726" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-70726" style="width: 500px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-70726 size-full" src="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/ACK7187_p_rgb-e1680756156788.jpg" alt="Adeline Ooi" width="500" height="639"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-70726" class="wp-caption-text">Heels by Giuseppe Zanotti</figcaption></figure></p>
<p>She was appointed as Director Asia for Art Basel on Boxing Day 2014. “Was it like a Christmas gift? I can’t really tell because it meant landing with my skates on. It was both scary and exhilarating,” she says.</p>
<p>For her, in hindsight, a media interview with someone from the art sector was not necessarily imaginable during the late ‘90s, and a sit-down one-on-one chat is already a big indication that the Asian art scene is progressing. She says: “This interview is already a big feat. I remember in my 20s, a job in the art world means you have to be willing to do it with hardly any or very little pay and everything was in DIY set-up. There were just fewer opportunities for us Asians in general.”</p>
<p><figure id="attachment_70728" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-70728" style="width: 500px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-70728 size-full" src="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/ACK7197_rgb-e1680763874997.jpg" alt="Adeline Ooi" width="500" height="625"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-70728" class="wp-caption-text">Heels by Giuseppe Zanotti</figcaption></figure></p>
<p><strong>Art imitates Life</strong></p>
<p>It is often said that life imitates art, but for Ooi, it works the other way around. “Art may not be for everyone, so it’s really hard to say that our lives are the main inspiration of art,” she says. “I think that is something that we all need to understand. More than anything, I believe that art really documents the human story.”</p>
<p>Looking at the etymology of curating, it is hard to imagine how it ever became the profession that it is now. It was only in the later years of the 20th century that the term curator was applied to exhibition makers, eventually becoming the title for some of the art world’s big players – Ooi now among them. Now in a globalised digital age, she is redefining her own profession as it evolves once again and how art fits within today’s creative scene. “I personally don’t believe in the notion that collecting art has to relate to a great investment. Sometimes we love something, but we don’t necessarily have to own it. The best way to experience art is in the chance encounters at a museum.”</p>
<p><em>(Interview by: Joseff Musa, Photographer: Jack Law, Art Direction and Styling: Jhoshwa Ledesma,</em><br />
<em>Videographer: Jack Fontanilla, Hair &amp; Makeup: Heti Tsang and Venue: M+)</em></p>
<p><em>Read the full interview in the April 2023 issue (pg: 100). Available on the Gafencu app on&nbsp;Android&nbsp;and&nbsp;Apple.&nbsp;&nbsp;</em></p>


Matters of the Art – Amid the ever-changing world of art, Adeline Ooi has stayed true to her heart

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Run the World: Diana Chou, Chairman of Dragon General Aviation Group, packs her bag with lessons in empowerment and owning one’s choices

Matters of the Art – Amid the ever-changing world of art, Adeline Ooi has stayed true to her heart