Xavier Massé is an art and design leader, educator, and strategist with more than 25 years of international experience spanning higher education, research, and the creative industries in Canada, Europe and India. He has held senior academic leadership roles, including Dean of the Haliburton School of Art & Design at Fleming College and Dean and Director of International Development at ECV Creative Schools & Community in France as well as professor and coordinator at George Brown Polytechnic.
Throughout his career, Xavier has led institutional growth (Continuing Education), curriculum innovation (micro credentials), interdisciplinary research (Institute Without Boundaries), and industry partnerships (Cisco, Sunnybrook), with particular expertise in interaction design, systems thinking, and creative technologies. Prior to academia, he held executive and creative leadership positions with leading agencies (Publicis) and technology firms (Logica), building and scaling digital and interactive practices.
A passionate advocate for the intersection of art, design, craft, artistic trades, technology, and education, Xavier regularly contributes to public discourse through speaking engagements, research initiatives, and board leadership. He is committed to fostering inclusive, future-focused learning environments that empower creative communities and drive meaningful social and economic impact.
Xavier is a strong advocate for the integration of arts, design, and culture within skilled trades education and sees this work as essential to Canada’s future workforce and innovation capacity. In his 2025 paper, STE[A]M is SM[ART], he argues that embedding arts and design into skilled trades education is critical to developing the next generation of highly qualified professionals while strengthening the visibility and influence of Canadian creative and cultural perspectives nationally and internationally.