Mario, born in Salzburg, Austria, studied at the College for Tourism in Salzburg before beginning an apprenticeship in a local travel agency. After spending a year in South Africa developing a more global mind, he returned to Europe to become the MD of AirConti in Austria, Munich-based tour operator which later became part of TUI. Over the next decade he grew to lead the Upper Austrian travel agency chain for 5 years.

In 1990 with the fall of the Iron Curtain Mario seized the opportunity and ventured to Prague, Czech Republic, to establish his first Liberty office with just 3 employees with a simple vision in mind: To make it the leading independent DMC group. He spent 9 years in Prague overseeing the business and expanding to become the global enterprise. Today Liberty offices are present in more than 50 countries and operating in over 100 countries worldwide, still Prague remains an important location for Liberty in East Europe.

Mario has been in love with Africa since his first visit in the 80’s and has been Kenyan resident for over a decade. He owns the Secluded African Properties in Kenya and is passionate about nature conservation. Mario travels 7-9 months a year to oversee the offices worldwide and loves to spend time with his son and wife.