The Executive Board of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) has extended the contract of Chief Executive Officer Dr. Mario Hardy for a period of three years commencing January 1, 2018.
PATA Chairperson Sarah Mathews said, ÒI am delighted thatÊMario has agreed to continue as our Chief Executive Officer. Under his outstanding leadership, the Association has made considerable progress and I am confident he will continue to lead PATA and supportÊtheÊneeds of our members.ÊPATA remains an associationÊdedicated to all its members and will continue to assist them in the ever-evolving landscape of tourism and travel. Mario and his team are best placed to help driveÊaÊcontinued period of growth.Ó
Dr Hardy said,ÊÒI am delighted to have an opportunity to work with our outstanding management team in building upon the PATA successes of the past threeÊyears. We still face many challenges as a membership organisationÊbut our determination to add value to the many benefits of PATA membership is being recognised in the public and private sectors. We shall continue with our primary mission of promoting sustainable and responsible tourism development throughout the world as we encourage travel to, from and within the Asia Pacific region.Ó
Mario Hardy joined PATA in 2012 as Chief Operating Officer and was appointed Chief Executive Officer on November 1, 2014. He is a 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.
He worked for 26 years in specialised aviation businesses with a focus upon data analytics and technology, occupying leadership roles in Montreal, Vancouver, London, Beijing and Singapore.
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 developmentÊof a Community Based Tourism (CBT) project in Vietnam.
In January 2017 Mario Hardy graduated from the Singularity University, Executive Program on the subject of Exponential Technologies.
