Neil Hoyne was born in Chicago, Illinois, and spent his formative years in the Midwest. He attended Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, where he earned his Bachelor of Management Science. Following his undergraduate studies, Hoyne relocated to Los Angeles to earn his MBA at UCLA Anderson School of Management.
In 2011, Hoyne joined Google as Program Manager for Display Advertising Insights, where his work on improving ad response rates contributed to 9.8% annualized growth across Google's $5 billion display advertising network. Within months, he was appointed Global Program Manager for Marketing Attribution, pioneering initiatives that brought financial-caliber transparency to marketing investments - work that generated $1.2 billion in incremental revenue for the company.
By 2015, as Global Head of Customer Analytics, Hoyne was leading a $315 million annual recurring revenue initiative that utilized AI-powered customer predictions to enhance acquisition and retention strategies for over 750 clients. His ability to transform complex data into strategic clarity caught the attention of leadership, and in 2019, he was appointed Chief Strategist at Google - a role in which he continues to guide C-suite executives through digital transformation, predictive analytics, and AI adoption. His strategic programs have driven an average 8.2% increase in Google advertising spend among client companies.
Hoyne's insights extend beyond the boardroom through his writing. His 2022 bestseller "Converted: The Data-Driven Way to Win Customers' Hearts" (Portfolio/Penguin Random House) has been translated into Chinese, Portuguese, Korean, and Hebrew, offering a research-backed framework for building lasting customer relationships. His forthcoming 2025 book, "Tournaments: Competing for a Meaningful Life," explores the hidden dynamics of corporate leadership and career strategy - a natural evolution of his philosophy that success requires both strategic thinking and human insight.
A prolific innovator, Hoyne holds several patents in marketing attribution and customer analytics. His thought leadership appears in Harvard Business Review, where he co-authored "How Managers Can Build a Culture of Experimentation", among other notable publications. In collaboration with The Lavin Agency, he has keynoted hundreds of events across more than two dozen countries, sharing perspectives that challenge conventional thinking about data and strategy.
Beyond Google, Hoyne shapes the future of education and business through multiple roles. Since 2022, he has served on the Board of Trustees for Purdue University Global, providing operational guidance for an institution serving 45,000 students. As Board Advisor to CapitalG (Alphabet's growth fund) since 2016, he guides portfolio companies on measurement infrastructure and AI adoption.
In academia, Hoyne served as Senior Fellow at the Wharton School (2019-2023) and continues as Faculty Member in AI, Data & Customer Insights at Wharton Executive Education. His guest lectures at Harvard Business School, MIT Sloan, London Business School, and other top institutions reflect a commitment to bridging the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application.
From his residence in Mountain View, California, Hoyne continues to explore how organizations can leverage data, AI, and emerging technologies not just to make better decisions, but to create lasting impact in an increasingly complex world. His career stands as testament to a simple belief: that behind every dataset lies a human story waiting to be understood, and that numbers tell us what happened, but only wisdom tells us what matters.
