Mario Hardy

Dr. Mario Hardy was appointed as Chief Executive Officer of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), the not-for-profit membership association that catalyzes 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 organization 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 specialized 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 Centre and Advisor and Shareholder of over 15 privately own technology businesses spread over 4 continents.

He also received an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from Capilano University in 2016 for his philanthropic work in Cambodia where he helped develop a school for underprivileged children and for his support in the development of a Community Based Tourism project in Vietnam. In 2017, Dr. Hardy graduated from the Executive Program of Singularity University in Exponential Technologies and was honored as a “Global Ambassador of Peace Through Tourism” by the International Institute for Peace Through Tourism.