On Diageo’s executive committee Syl has supported policies which support gender equality in the workplace, such as flexible working practices and equal parental leave. Diageo’s global executive committee is 40% women, and the company is aiming for 40% women on senior leadership teams across the 180 countries Diageo operates in by 2025. Syl has led Diageo’s work on gender balance in advertising, sharing their framework broadly with other companies. Diageo were one of the first signatories to the UN Unstereotype Alliance and to Free the Bid, aimed at driving gender equality for directors in advertising. Syl has held Diageo’s agencies across the world to account, calling on them to commit to advancing gender equality in advertising. To back this up, Diageo sponsored the Creative Equals Returners programme, supporting women returning to work. Syl also drives change through her position as President of the Marketing Society, where she has supported an agenda on ‘Brave Leadership’ that has raised the profile of and championed many issues linked to the success of women in business. Syl regularly speaks on gender equality and gender portrayal in advertising, and often appears on panels and steering committees, alongside mentoring numerous women and being a board member for the Women’s Prize for Fiction.