PATA extends Hardy’s Chief Executive contract

The Executive Board of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) has extended the contract of Chief Executive Dr. Mario Hardy for a period of three years commencing from 1st January 2018.

Advising of the contract extension, PATA Chairperson Sarah Mathews stated “I am delighted that Mario has agreed to continue as our Chief Executive.

“Under his outstanding leadership, the Association has made considerable progress and I am confident he will continue to lead PATA and support the needs of our members. PATA remains an association dedicated 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 drive a continued period of growth.”

Welcoming the news, Dr Hardy (pictured) added “I am delighted to have an opportunity to work with our outstanding management team in building upon the PATA successes of the past three years.

“We still face many challenges as a membership organisation but 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 responsibly tourism development throughout the world as we encourage travel to, from and within the Asia Pacific region.”

Dr  Hardy joined PATA in 2012 as Chief Operating Officer and was appointed Chief Executive in November 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.

Prior to joining PATA, he worked for 26 years in specialised aviation businesses with a focus upon data analytics and technology, occupying leadership roles in Canada, the United Kingdom, China 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 development of a Community Based Tourism (CBT) project in Vietnam.

In January 2017 Dr Hardy graduated from the Singularity University, Executive Program on the subject of Exponential Technologies.

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