Creative industry veteran gets university chair post
Guy Mastrion, an entrepreneur and creative industry veteran with more than 30 years of experience in brand development, digital strategy, advertising, design, photography, and film for global brands, has been appointed the ninth F. William Harder Chair of Business at Skidmore College.
Mastrion is founder and chief creative officer of Brandforming, a multidisciplinary creative organization with expertise in design, campaign, and digital work dedicated to the creation and transformation of brands. The firm’s clients represent myriad industries including health and wellness, financial services, entertainment, transportation, consumer/packaged goods, food and beverage, travel, automotive and fashion brands. He is also a founding member of Watershed Bridges, a unique network of partner firms established by experienced industry veterans, and dedicated to connecting for a change in healthcare communications.
Prior to founding Brandforming, Mastrion was a co-founder and the chief global creative officer of Palio-Ignite, a top worldwide healthcare advertising agencies that helped to establish and grow inVentiv Health. Palio-Ignite was headquartered in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., and grew to have offices in New York City and Irvine, Calif., plus a network of global agency affiliates.
Mastrion has also held senior creative positions at leading advertising agencies including Saatchi & Saatchi, Bates Worldwide, McCaffrey McCall Partners, Dancer Fitzgerald & Sample, and McCann Erickson. His expertise in strategic creative development ranges from broadcast, print and digital advertising to documentary film. The work he and his teams have created has garnered hundreds of prestigious awards from organizations including CLIO, Cannes, Graphis, NY Festivals, London International Awards and The Global Awards.
“Guy brings a wealth of practical knowledge, industry expertise, and creative energy to thinking about advertising, branding, and marketing communications,” said Caroline D’Abate, Chair of the Department of Management & Business at Skidmore College. “He sees connections between business, psychology, the arts, sciences, history, and so much more, and he brings these connections to life in relevant ways for his clients. The Management and Business Department is excited to work with him. We foresee Guy Mastrion becoming an influential and impactful part of the Skidmore community.”
“I’m very honored with the appointment to the Harder Chair. This is a wonderful opportunity for me to work directly with a very smart group of people at Skidmore including, of course, the students. Collaborating across multiple disciplines, interests, and areas of study promises to be quite inspiring,” Mastrion said.
Mastrion earned a BFA with a specialization in Communications Design and Photography at Parsons School of Design in New York City.
Mastrion began his five-year term as Harder Chair in August, replacing Cathy Hill who has served in the role since 2012.
Established in 1984, the F. William Harder Chair of Business Administration is designed to make possible the appointment of a distinguished executive at the senior level, who will teach a variety of courses, participate in the development of the College’s program in business and in the interactions between the Management and Business Development and the liberal arts program, and energetically enhance Skidmore’s contacts with the leaders of both the Saratoga and the national business communities.
