The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) has confirmed the appointment of Liz Ortiguera to the role of chief executive.
She will take up the role on May 17th, succeeding Mario Hardy.
PATA chair, Soon-Hwa Wong, said: “We are delighted to welcome Liz to the PATA family, especially as she will be the first Asian American female chief executive in PATA’s 70-year history.
“Her extensive leadership experience across different industries in the Asia Pacific region is what PATA needs to lead the Association to new heights.
“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.
She is passionate about innovation, business transformation and community building.
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 ten 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.
Commenting on her new appointment, Ortiguera said: “I am honoured to be selected as the next PATA chief executive.
“I am confident that PATA, with its diverse member base of industry leaders, will continue to help catalyse our industry’s recovery and growth.
“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.”