Participating Innovators

Alex E. Khajavi
CEO, Chairman of the Board
NatureAir Group, Naturegate donalex

Alex E. Khajavi brings extensive background in international finance, tourism development and ecotourism consulting. His career has included assignments as Investment Banker/Advisor with Dean Witter Reynolds/Morgan Stanley Group and Blyth Eastman Dillon/UBS PainWebber from 1965-1971.

As a Senior Vice President of the Triad Group of Companies from 1971-1978, he was responsible for project financing and international development worldwide. With Triad, Mr. Khajavi was the Chief Operating Officer whose responsibilities included identifying, financing and developing multi-faceted projects in US, East Africa and the Middle East. In 1976 Mr. Khajavi was instrumental in the creation and funding of 200 million USD for the Sudan Development Corporation. SDC was set up to Fund Agricultural Protect in Sudan.

Mr. Khajavi founded and operated Western Architectural Systems from 1979 to 1986. The company designed, manufactured, architectural shading and passive energy devices. The company was consolidated in to Hunter Douglas a major manufacturer of shading and architectural devices.

As Executive Director of Naturegate, Mr. Khajavi has collaborated on many successful tourism projects in the Caribbean, Central and South America. In the past twenty years, he has worked on sustainable development projects in the Seychelles, Egypt, Fiji, the Bahamas, Costa Rica, Belize, Peru, Brazil, Argentina, Panama, Honduras, Mexico, Guatemala, Kenya and Unites States…

Mr. Khajavi has lectured on conceptualization, sustainable design, and tourism planning for the Ecotourism Society, UNESCO, United Nations and has contributed to several books and papers on sustainability including "The Ecolodge Design and Operations Guidelines" 2000. He has worked closely with the Ecotourism Society as a premier supporting member. Mr. Khajavi has encouraged developing countries for many years to adopt ecotourism as a financially and environmentally sustainable tool for development.

Mr. Khajavi is founder, CEO and Chairman the majority investor in NatureAir Group of Companies, of the Board of NatureAir Holding Company SA, and Naturegate a sustainable tourism development company. NatureAir is the flag carrier airline of Costa Rica and operates 74 daily flights to 17 destinations within Costa Rica, Panama, and Nicaragua. The Airline serves over 20 National Parks and Biological Reserves. Nature Air is recognized for its contributions to social and environmental causes and is the first 100% carbon neutral Airline in the world.

Nature Air has received prestige awards from Rain Forest Alliance, WTTC, National Geographic Society, Cande Nass. The Group has been featured on CNBC, National Geographic, Virgin Holidays, New York Times, Financial Times, NPR, Travel Mole and others Publications world wire.

The group has interest in Travel, Aviation fuel Distribution, Flight Training, Fixed Based Operations “FBO” and adventure based rental cars, Naturerovers.

NatureAir home base is Tobias Bolanos International Airport at Pavas in San Jose, Costa Rica which NatureAir represents over 75% of the total air traffic operations.

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