Mario Hardy

Dr Hardy was appointed as Chief Executive Officer of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), the not-for-profit membership association that catalyses on the responsible development of travel and tourism within the Asia Pacific region, in November 2014. He is the past Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the PATA Foundation, a non-profit organisation with a focus on the protection of the environment, the conservation of culture and heritage, and support for education. Dr Hardy has 30 years of experience in specialised aviation businesses focusing on data analytics and technology, coupled with several corporate leadership capacities. He is also the founder of Venture Capital firm MAP2 | Ventures, an investment fund with a wide portfolio of technology-centric businesses in the field of FinTech, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, GreenTech and FMCG, as well as a platform that provides valuable management advice, mentorship and access to a vast network built in corporate development. Dr Hardy serves: on the Advisory Board of the Global Tourism Economic Forum, the Global Tourism Resilience Centre, Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hospitality and Tourism School, Guilin Tourism University, Middle East Travel and Tourism Development Network Center