Dr. Mario Hardy
Dr. Hardy was appointed as Chief Executive Officer of the Pacific Asia Travel Association
(PATA), the not-for-profit membership association that catalyses 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
organisation 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 specialised 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 honoured as a “Global Ambassador of Peace Through
Tourism” by the International Institute for Peace Through Tourism.
Dr. Hardy was appointed as Chief Executive Officer of the Pacific Asia Travel Association
(PATA), the not-for-profit membership association that catalyses 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
organisation 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 specialised 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 honoured as a “Global Ambassador of Peace Through
Tourism” by the International Institute for Peace Through Tourism.