The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) announces the resignation of Liz Ortiguera as its Chief Executive Officer.
Founded in 1951, the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) is a not-for-profit membership-based association that catalyzes the responsible development of travel and tourism to, from, and within the Asia Pacific region.
Just a week ago Lize posted to her Instagram: “What our industry needs now – the voice of progressive, respected leaders like Leslie Hale, the new Chairman of AHLA and CEO of RLJ Lodging as interviewed by David Kong, former CEO of BWH and now Founder of DEI Advisors.”
It’s unclear why the PATA CEO quit at a critical time for this organization. PATA did not immediately respond to questions.
On April 22, 2021 PATA announced the appointment of Liz Ortiguera as its Chief Executive Officer effective May 17, 2021, succeeding Dr. Mario Hardy, who will finish his term at the end of May.
According to a bio posted on the PATA Website Liz Ortiguera is a senior executive with over 25 years of global experience and expertise in general management, marketing, business development, and partner network management.
Liz is passionate about innovation, business transformation, and community building. Her career spans several industries – travel/lifestyle, technology, financial services, and pharmaceuticals. She’s experienced in working in both MNCs (American Express and Merck) and startup environments (SaaS, e-commerce, and ed-tech). For ten years, she was General Manager for Amex’s Travel Partner Network, Asia-Pacific/ANZ, managing partnerships with the region’s top TMC, MICE, and leisure agencies. She can adeptly work across cultures and business environments to catalyze opportunities and drive growth.
In her personal life, she has continually advocated for poverty eradication programs and education initiatives across the region. Liz is an alumna of Stanford University Graduate Business School, Columbia University Business School, New York University, and The Cooper Union in New York.
With Liz leading PATA new projects included PATA’s first Annual Summit in the Middle East, the PATA-Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) APAC Travel Summit, PATA-World Bank Government Recovery Insights Forum Series, the Tourism Destination Resilience Program launch and the ongoing Weekly Asia-Pacific Destination Recovery Dashboard.”
Commenting on her tenure at PATA, Ms. Ortiguera said, “It was a true honor to have served as PATA’s CEO.
I am confident that PATA, with its diverse member base of industry leaders, can continue to support and lead our industry’s recovery and growth.
PATA is even more critical as a business community today to support new partnerships, innovation, and adopting sustainable business practices.”
“I am handing back the reins with thanks to PATA Members for the opportunity to lead at this critical time of global industry recovery. I had the opportunity to work with some deeply committed, hard-working, and talented individuals within the PATA team and our valued members and partners. They embody the heart and the spirit of what PATA could be in everything they do,” Ms. Ortiguera added.
In response to Ms. Ortiguera’s departure, PATA Chair Peter Semone stated that “the Executive Board has established five Expert Task Forces or ETFs to review critical elements of PATA’s development strategy, including Brand and Voice, Events, Membership Engagement, Organizational Design, and Digital Readiness. The recommendations of these ETFs will help define PATA’s new direction strategically and operationally.”
