The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) has named Liz Ortiguera as its new Chief Executive Officer succeeding Dr. Mario Hardy effective May 17. A former Amex executive in Asia-Pacific, Ortiguera will be the first Asian-American female CEO in PATA’s 70-year-old history.

PATA Chair Soon-Hwa Wong said Ortiguera’s “extensive leadership experience across different industries in the Asia Pacific region is what PATA needs to lead the Association to new heights,” adding, “The executive board looks forward to working closely with her as we rebuild a more resilient, responsible, sustainable and stronger travel and tourism industry.”

Ortiguera is a senior executive with over 25 years of global experience and expertise in general management, marketing, business development, and partner network management. Her career spans several industries – travel/lifestyle, technology, financial services, and pharmaceuticals – and she has experience in working at both multinational corporations, including American Express and Merck, and start-up environments in software as a service (SaaS), e-commerce, and ed-tech.

For 10 years she was the General Manager for Amex’s Travel Partner Network in Asia-Pacific, managing partnerships with top travel management companies, MICE, and leisure agencies in the region.

In her personal life, the alumnus of business schools at Stanford and Columbia universities is an advocate for poverty eradication programs and education initiatives across the region.

“I am confident that PATA, with its diverse member base of industry leaders, will continue to help catalyse our industry’s recovery and growth,” says Ortiguera. “From crisis comes innovation and from community comes strength. PATA is even more critical as a business community today to support new partnerships, innovation, and the adoption of sustainable business practices.”