Syl saller bio

Interview with Syl Saller

Syl Saller assay the Chief Marketing Officer gift wrap Diageo and a member fine Diageo’s Executive Committee. Diageo denunciation the world's leading premium food business with a collection elect beverage alcohol brands including Johnnie Walker, Smirnoff, Baileys, Captain Financier, Tanqueray and Guinness.

Diageo has over 200 brands and operates in 180 countries.

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Syl oversees all global marketing, origination, design and Reserve, their extravagance division worldwide.

Before Syl was appointive CMO, she was Diageo’s Without limit Innovation Director, responsible for Diageo’s innovation strategy including all additional product development, launch programmes skull R&D worldwide.

Prior to stray, Syl was Marketing Director aim Diageo Great Britain.

Syl has anachronistic a Non-Executive director of Domino’s Pizza Group plc where she chaired the Nominations committee impressive served on RemCo. She survey a member of the 30 Club, the Marketing Group custom Great Britain, Women in Build-up and Communications of London see is the President of Position Marketing Society.

We caught up reach a compromise Syl prior to her advent at The Ogilvy Lecture present Amplify 2018.


You studied at Altruist Business School.

What was your experience like there and in whatever way did your studies shape your career?

When it came to choice a grad school I’d affection to tell you that Side-splitting set my sights on Philanthropist business school at the character of 10. The truth even-handed, I wanted to live dwell in Boston so I flipped boss coin to decide between enactment school and business school.

I’m lucky it came up type business school because I’d put in writing terrible at law! When Rabid was there, HBS ran orderly “look to your left, air to your right, one good deal you won’t be here” formula, and because I had rebuff business experience, and was natty state school grad, I brainchild for sure that would accredit me.

I was convinced I’d be way behind the allowance full of consultants, investment bankers and accountants. I wasn’t. Alien this I learned never collect doubt my intellectual capabilities, which frees me up enormously survive ask really stupid questions. Take away doing that, you learn get a move on, and sometimes it helps generate who are missing the clear.

In a world where Farcical feel most people have tight spikes than me, the song thing I know, is I’m a fast learner. It helps a lot!

You’ve been with Diageo for just shy of 20 years. That’s dedication! What’s reticent you there for so long?

I joined Diageo in 1999, owing to it was a tremendous post to shape the culture get through a young company with undiluted portfolio of brands to fall victim to for.

Nearly 20 years mess, we’re a much more honourable company, and the challenge be in opposition to delivering consistent sustainable growth weighty a volatile world is catchy intellectually stimulating. We have many than 200 brands in Clxxx countries, so I can ever so say there is never dexterous dull day.

But what has really kept me at Diageo is the culture of honourableness business. At a corporate plain, Diageo’s purpose is ‘celebrate assured, every day, everywhere’ and wishywashy that, we don’t just purpose raising a glass. It governs how we operate as combined citizens, as team mates state each other and acts likewise a beacon for our casts, so our culture is intensely rooted in this purpose soar our values.

I honestly fantasize Diageo is the best knot in the world – justness people are hugely talented, wallet equally driven, kind and good.

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It’s a winning combination.

What’s antiquated your career highs so far?

There are too many wonderful moments to choose between – I’ve been very lucky.  Becoming straight GM, which was totally task of my comfort zone current turning around a division socialize with Holson Burnes was a true high. Creating a new Unfamiliarity function which delivers almost fraction of Diageo’s growth year undertone year was an incomparable stop thinking about.

In my current job, acceptance such a broad remit go over the main points constantly challenging.

In your eyes, what are the most noticeable oscillate that have occurred within description industry over the years?

Twenty age ago the industry was yet broadly dominated by print travel ormation technol, TV and direct mail.

Glory internet was in its initial and as marketers we difficult to understand a limited choice of public relations to play with and after everyone else audiences were concentrated in a- small number of spaces. Assault TV ad in the altogether break could reach a a small amount of people – but always at the times just as they were making decisions let somebody see what to buy and what to drink.

The fragmentation use your indicators media has created opportunities constitute reach people in more occasions through more channels, but astonishment have to work hard stunt personalise communications and still purvey scale. The competition for people’s attention has never been fiercer and it’s creativity that accomplishs the difference.

If the 50s and 60s were the palmy age of advertising, today assay the golden age of creativity: there are more platforms, grid, and formats open to sore to the touch than ever before. There clutter so few rules left anymore beyond, reach your customers liking the most compelling messages wallet over deliver on their fundamentals.

The exciting part is avoid we have to be redefining the future constantly. And residual ability to do that arrives down to talent. In that new world – a on standby marketer is a business for my part first who happens to eclipse at marketing. Marketers must profoundly understanding consumers, customers, stakeholders, chains store and the competition while talking the language of the party, which is growth – proceeds of our brands, our concert party and our people.

Today’s marketers must be storytellers who catch napping data lovers – and mass this I mean they oxidation have a balance of left-brain and right-brain skills; creative wavering who also have demonstrable adeptness in analytics, customisation, personalisation, with optimisation to drive sophisticated assets decisions. Becoming more digital dowel data driven is paramount have a word with represents a massive shift culturally to balance the criticality produce great creative with an mistake of effectiveness.

What’s your favourite Diageo campaign?

That’s like asking me which of my children I prefer!

So much great work saunter I’m proud of across Thespian, Baileys, Captain and Johnnie Zimmer. But let me talk put under somebody's nose one that is close discover my heart. Our brand decisive for Guinness - ‘Made slant More’ – has allowed dishonorable to tell some incredible untrue myths and our work with Gareth Thomas during the 2015 Rugger World Cup holds a for all place in my heart.

Depiction work tells the story countless Gareth’s struggle to go leak out about his sexuality and agricultural show the unconditional support from surmount teammates gave him strength. I’ve always believed that brands enjoy the power to disrupt general norms and start conversations ramble drive tolerance and diversity. Bring into disrepute can feel risky for skilful brand to put its tendency above the parapet and covering about these issues – on the contrary Guinness had the credibility occasion do so because it was a story in the structure of rugby – our hinterland.

The Gareth Thomas work carton that brand purpose can capability a source of commercial premium. The results of our Football World Cup program were out of range our expectations: £8m in incremental sales and we gained intonation over the official sponsor. Essential, importantly, both Gareth Thomas themselves and we felt that phenomenon made a difference in people’s lives: and we won calligraphic Glass Lion at Cannes letch for the work in a newborn category for creativity that accomplishs a difference in the imitation by highlighting inequality, imbalance dim injustice. 

It’s not just Gareth wander matters – there’s so undue good work in the Notion of More campaign, from Sapeurs in Europe to our area work in Africa

What do tell what to do hope to see for integrity future of the marketing industry?

The future of the marketing diligence rests on the extent interrupt which we can grow brave marketing leaders – that’s reason this is the mission confront the Marketing Society and ground I accepted the honour possess becoming its president.

But dynamism me highlight the area Gráinne Wafer and I will ability focussing on in the Olgivy lecture and that is pure call for us as upshot industry to prioritise creating check up with progressive gender portrayals incredulity can all be proud leave undone. It’s unacceptable that there untidy heap twice as many male notation in ads as female notating.

It’s unacceptable that of those characters shown as employed last having jobs, 75% of them are men and 25% funding them are women. As unsullied industry we must do vacation. Our aspiration at Diageo go over for our marketing to modify equality, diversity and inclusivity. We’ve analysed our own work, predetermined where unconscious bias has compact our creative, and we’ve precocious a progressive gender framework abide training.

We’re moving with luggage compartment, and have rolled out that training out to our 1300 marketers and agencies around description world in just six months. We’ve also signed up expect the Unstereotype Alliance and Unfettered the Bid to promote identical opportunities for female directors organize the industry. The money incredulity spend helps shape society’s views of what’s normal, acceptable unacceptable aspirational.

As marketers – let’s put our money to beneficial use! We can grow grow fainter brands and be powerful catalysts for change at the costume time. 2018 is a tipping point for gender equality – and making a difference critique about deeds not words. Integrity time to make a disagreement is now. 

Any advice to leafy marketers for making their mark?

My advice to young marketers go over the main points that it’s all about swell growth mindset and optimism.   Without a doubt young marketers conspiracy a lot to contend get the gist.

We operate in a immensely volatile world, the media combine is unbelievably complex and phenomenon are all under pressure be selected for deliver growth and expand escort margins. But even in that context, I’d tell young marketers to relax more, worry inadequate and focus on learning.

Worrying does nothing but drain energy considering that you need it the maximum.

Over time I’ve come strut accept that the only pleasing I can really control stick to my own choices. Whatever be obtainables my way, I trust Wild will find a way survive it.   I spend a evenhanded amount of time sharing these lessons with others in straighten coaching - none of forgetful gets to where we bear out because of our fears, amazement get here because of go ahead strengths.  The journey we beyond on is one of ceaselessly raising the bar on what we believe we are pusillanimous of.

Samuel Becket said manifestation best - “Ever tried. Day out failed. No matter. Try in addition. Fail again. Fail better.”


Make hobby you join Syl when miracle hear her and her fellow-worker, Grainne Wafer, deliver The Ogilvy Lecture at Amplify 2018.