Meet the Global Marketer of the Year 2019 nominees: Syl Saller, Diageo

Vote for Syl here

Syl Saller is CMO of Diageo and a member of Diageo’s Executive Committee. Diageo is the world’s leading premium drinks business operating in 180 countries with a collection of over 200 brands including Johnnie Walker, Smirnoff, Tanqueray and Guinness. Syl oversees all Global Marketing, Design, Innovation and Reserve - Diageo’s luxury division, worldwide. 

Syl is President of the Marketing Society, a member of the 30 Club, and Women in Advertising and Communications of London (WACL). She is consistently recognised for her service to the industry being named Marketer of the Year, one of the 500 Most Influential People in Britain, Forbes top 50 CMOs, and Ad Age’s Women to Watch. Syl has been a Non-Executive director of Domino’s Pizza Group plc chairing NomCo, member of n the RemCo; Currently, Trustee, Women’s Prize for Fiction, Chairs Diageo’s Distil Ventures Board supporting entrepreneurs. A leading advocate for gender equality issues and proud mom.

What are the things she's most proud of?

Syl has been nominated for leading a transformation in both creative excellence and marketing effectiveness across Diageo, inspiring industry wide change in promoting gender equality and supporting leadership development within Diageo and beyond.

This year Syl launched a comprehensive development program called Creative Sparks to inspire Diageo’s 1200 marketers to ensure people have the skills to build the very best agency relationships in service of great creative work.  In parallel, significant breakthroughs in Diageo’s leading-edge marketing effectiveness Catalyst program have revolutionized confidence to invest more in brands. 

Following engagement with agencies Diageo has focused on the lack of women in creative leadership roles, sponsoring the Creative Equals Creative Comeback scheme to support women to return to the creative industries after a career break and expanding the program from the UK to the US and India. Diageo also co-authored an industry wide playbook for progressive content for the Unstereotype Alliance. As an ExCo Member, Syl supported the creation of an equal family leave policy offering six months fully paid leave regardless of gender in a majority of Diageo’s businesses globally.

Syl is most proud of new programs to support leadership development and a diverse pipeline of top talent at Diageo, alongside the work she does as President of the Marketing Society to ensure there are more brave leaders across our industry.

You can vote for Syl here until 31 January 2020. 

Also shortlisted for WFA Global Marketer of the Year 2019 are:

• Cheryl Goh, Grab
• Richa Goswami, J&J
• Fernando Machado, Burger King
• Marc Pritchard, P&G
• Lubomira Rochet, L'Oréal