Mario Hardy
CEO Pacific Asia Travel Association
Dr Mario Hardy was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) on November 1, 2014. PATA is a not-for profit membership association that acts as a catalyst for the responsible development of travel and tourism within the Asia Pacific region. The Association, which celebrated its 65 th anniversary in 2016, provides travel industry leadership and counsel to over 102 government, state and city tourism bodies and many hundreds of travel industry companies across Asia Pacific and beyond. He is 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.
Mario 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, Internet of Things and Online Travel Tech. In addition to seed capital, the firm provide’s valuable management advice, mentorship and access to a vast network built over a lifetime experience in corporate development.
Mario previously worked a total of 26 years in specialised aviation businesses with a focus on data analytics and technology and occupied several leadership roles in Montreal, Vancouver, London, Beijing and Singapore.
In 2017, Mario graduated from the Singularity University, Executive Program on the subject of Exponential Technologies. In 2016, he received an honorary Doctorate of Letters from Capilano University 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 (CBT) project in Vietnam.
He is a true global citizen who lived on 3 continents, 7 countries and has over 15 years experience working in Asia. A seasoned traveler with a goal of visiting over 100 countries engaging with local communities. Passionate about travel, innovation, design and technology.