Irby, Mastin Join Board of Advisors

Two business leaders with a wealth of expertise and experience are joining the Carlson School of Management’s Board of Advisors.

Ben Irby, ’10 MBA, of General Mills, and Celeste Mastin, of H.B. Fuller, joined the board in November 2023. 

The Carlson School Board of Advisors includes more than 40 senior executives representing a variety of companies and organizations across the globe. Together, they work closely with the Carlson School’s dean and leadership team to ensure a highly engaged relationship with local and national businesses while providing valued assistance in seeking both monetary and non-monetary support from individuals and the corporate community.

Ben Irby, ’10 MBA, president, Snacks Operating Unit, General Mills

In more than 20 years at General Mills, Irby has worked in several areas of the business domestically and internationally. Currently, he serves as president of the Snacks Operating Unit, which supports many of the company’s most popular brands. 

Prior to that, he led the company’s Dairy Business Unit. That role marked a return to the U.S. following his second stint at Cereal Partners Worldwide (CWP), based in Lausanne, Switzerland, where he served as chief marketing and strategy officer responsible for the design and implementation of global marketing. Irby initially worked in several marketing roles at CWP in from 2011-2015.

Also, Irby has held leadership roles for General Mills’ Pillsbury Business Unit, owned media platforms (Bettycrocker.com, Pillsbury.com and Tablespoon.com), and Dry Baking Businesses. He began his career with the company in the sales organization, holding jobs in direct selling, trade marketing, and category management across a variety of regional and national retailers before transitioning to marketing.

A Boulder, Colorado, native, Irby has a degree in Marketing from Arizona State University and an MBA from the Carlson School. He previously served as an advisory board member for the Carlson Global Institute.

Celeste Mastin, President and CEO, H.B. Fuller

Mastin has served as H.B. Fuller’s president and chief executive officer since December 2022. She previously held the role of executive vice president and chief operating officer from March to December 2022. 

Before joining H.B. Fuller, Mastin served as CEO and a board member at PetroChoice Lubrication Solutions from 2018 to 2022. 

Prior to that, she served as CEO at Distribution International from 2013 to 2017, and CEO of MMI Products Inc. from 2007 to 2011. She also held executive leadership roles at Ferro Corporation from 2003 to 2007. Mastin has 10 years of experience in the adhesives industry, including seven years at Bostik Adhesives, from 1995 to 2002. She began her career in 1990 in sales at Shell Chemical Company. 

Mastin serves on the board of directors of the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) as well as the board of directors of Granite Construction Inc., a publicly traded, global infrastructure and construction materials producer. 

She earned her MBA from the University of Houston and her bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Washington State University.