Mario Mažić has been an advocate for rights and democracy for over 12 years. He is the Founding Partner at Europe&Southeast consultancy company based in his home town of Petrinja, Croatia, a Program Advisor at PeaceNexus Foundation in Prangins, Switzerland, a Board Member at the Humanitarian Law Center in Prishtina, Kosovo, the initiator of Political Youth Network which gathers young political leaders from post-Yugoslav nations, the Co-founder of Arterarij, a Zagreb, Croatia-based organization promoting participation and tolerance through art projects and part of Balkans 2030 initiative by the International Institute for Peace from Vienna, Austria.

He holds an MA in International Development and Policy from the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy and is part of the inaugural cohort of the Obama Foundation Scholars. Mario holds a BA in International Relations from Libertas International University in Zagreb, and has taken undergraduate courses also at the University of Zagreb, University of Oslo, Northwestern University and University of Belgrade. In 2012 he was a Fellow in Historical Dialogue and Accountability at the Institute for the Study of Human Rights at Columbia University in New York.

He founded and led the Youth Initiative for Human Rights in Zagreb, Croatia, an NGO focused on reconciliation and transitional justice, between 2008 and 2018. For two years (2015-17) he led the efforts of Reach for Change Foundation in Croatia as its Country Manager and Representative.