Mario Hardy
CEO at PATA International
Mario Hardy was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) on November 1 st, 2014. He previously joined the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) as the Chief Operations Officer on January 15th, 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 60th anniversary in 2011, provides travel industry leadership and counsel to over 90 government, state and city tourism bodies, nearly 50 international airlines, airports and cruise lines, and many hundreds of travel industry companies across Asia Pacific and beyond.
Mario is also past Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the PATA Foundation, a non-profit organisation with a mission to contribute to the sustainable and responsible development of travel and tourism in Asia Pacific through the protection of the environment, the conservation of culture and heritage, and support for education.
He is an entrepreneur, serial angel investor with close to 30 years of combined leadership, corporate development and change management experience.
Prior to PATA, Mario worked 14 years for UBM/OAG a business with a focus on data analytics and events for the aviation sector and occupied several leadership roles in London, Beijing and Singapore.
He began his career with People’s Express Airlines in 1985, before joining Canadian Airlines in 1987 where he spent 12 years in a number of sales, marketing and operational roles, leading to his appointment in a senior management role heading the Group Sales & Charter division in 1997.
Mario has a BSc from the University of Montreal, a Public Relations Certificate from L’École des Hautes Études Commerciales de Montréal and an International Trade Certificate from the O’Sullivan College of Montreal.
He is a true global citizen who lived on 3 continents, 7 countries and has over 10 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; you will often find him reading, FastCompany, TechCrunch, Mashable, National Geographic, watching TED Talks, or searching for the latest innovations on Kickstarter or Indiegogo.
