MAICON brings together top visionaries and experts in the field of AI during a three-day conference packed with actionable sessions and networking events—all to position you as the change agent your organization (and career) needs. In this ongoing speaker series, we’re featuring these extraordinary leaders, with forward-looking predictions, actionable tips you can use today, and a preview of their MAICON 2025 sessions.
Meet Eva Dong. Eva leads AI Value Realization at Google Cloud, helping clients turn AI initiatives into measurable business impact, whether through revenue growth, cost efficiency, or reimagining how work gets done with AI at the core.
“It's a new role focused on meeting the emerging trends of capturing AI value by unlocking its power, moving past AI as a 'neat chat-bot' status to become a fully usable strategic asset that delivers measurable and lasting organizational value,” she explains.
Innovation is not just a job for Eva; it’s a driving force that she cultivated over eight years as a Senior Expert in Data Science & AI in the Growth & Marketing Practice at McKinsey & Company. There, she did more than consult.
She defined the future of industries working with top-tier global clients to translate cutting-edge AI and advanced analytics into concrete, actionable strategies that delivered monumental growth.This expansive work established her global perspective, having successfully served clients across North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.
“In the use of AI, value realization is paramount,” Eva said. “What consistently separates thriving organizations is their ability to quickly translate AI investment into tangible, measurable returns."
Eva launched her career on Visa’s cybersecurity team, where she leveraged her data science skills to solve critical, real-world challenges. Her innate talent for coding, modeling, and creative problem-solving was quickly recognized.
“At Visa, we were among the first in the world to apply machine learning to proactively address cybersecurity issues,” she recalls. “Our work won awards and industry recognition, and I gained tremendous technical skills from it.These experiences taught me how to adapt, lead, and influence in vastly different business and cultural contexts.”
Eva has a Master’s in Financial Engineering from the University of Michigan.
From leading AI Value Realization at Google to defining global industry strategies at McKinsey & Company, Eva Dong is the strategic expert who turns the promise of AI into measurable business success.
AI holds incredible potential, but for too many companies, it remains a high-cost investment limited to ”neat” tools like chatbots, resulting in a stagnant or negative Return on Investment..
In her MAICON session, Eva will guide marketing leaders through a practical framework to unlock the true business value of AI. She will tackle common challenges such as cost unpredictability and scaling AI across teams, and bring these lessons to life with compelling real-world case studies from diverse industries.
Attendees will leave inspired and equipped with actionable strategies to make AI initiatives not just functional, but transformative.
To unlock the full potential of AI, you must approach every AI initiative with a laser-focus on quantifiable value. It’s easy to get swept up in the excitement of new tools and capabilities and lose sight of the most important questions: What measurable business outcome are you aiming to achieve? How does AI fit into your short-term business goals and strategy? How can AI be used to capture market share or expand into new markets?
Eva emphasizes that the purpose of AI in any enterprise is to create durable, measurable value. She explains:
“You need to define clear business goals, quantify the expected value, project the financial impact, monitor outcomes, and adjust when results fall short.”
This is not a one-time exercise but an ongoing practice that must be woven into your overall business strategy, governing how AI programs are managed from initiation to scale.
“The goal is not to use AI simply because it is exciting,” she says. “The goal is to create a self-sustaining system that reliably turns advanced technology into exponential business performance. That mindset is what drives real, lasting impact.”
By keeping strategic business impact at the center, you can stop experimenting with AI and start dominating your market with it.
The global AI landscape is moving faster than ever. While the U.S. currently leads in many areas, Eva observes that the speed of innovation and scale of implementation in China is advancing at an extraordinary pace.
Other countries are not waiting either; they are making bold, transformative strides to level the playing field. She recently spoke at a conference in Latin America and was inspired by the energy and rapid adoption across often-overlooked sectors that are often overlooked.
For example, AI is being integrated into supply chains to optimize financials and fuel local startup growth. She reminds us that:
“In the long run, the differentiator will not be who builds the most powerful models, but who applies AI most effectively at scale. I strongly encourage anyone serious about AI to watch global markets closely.”
[Blog] Three-part framework to measure the impact of your AI use case
Co-authored by Eva, this Google Cloud blog provides a simple and useful framework to measure AI projects.
[Podcast] Google Cloud Expert Reveals: Making AI Agents Work for Your Bottom Line with Eva Dong
Eva joins the AI for Solopreneurs: The AI Hat Podcast to discuss how AI agents can become your most profitable team members. Listen for actionable insights and strategies.
[Video] AI Adoption: Revealing the Power of Real World Implementations and Lessons Learned
Watch Eva’s Global AI Summit presentation on real-world AI implementations, best practices, and strategies for overcoming common challenges.
Eva’s Session at MAICON
AI Monetization: A Practical Guide to Unlock Value and ROI
AI is fundamentally transforming the marketing landscape. Converting that potential into measurable, bottom-line business results remains the ultimate challenge.
In this dynamic session, Eva Dong, Lead of Value Realization for AI at Google Cloud, shares an easy to use practical framework that top-tier organizations are using right now to move AI beyond experimentation and into a proven, scalable driver of revenue and efficiency. You'll learn how to overcome common obstacles like cost unpredictability, successfully scale AI-powered marketing initiatives, and establish a clear methodology for measuring real return on investment.
Whether you're a CMO, marketing ops leader, or AI-savvy strategist, this session will equip you with a clear roadmap to profitable AI adoption in marketing.
Follow along with Eva’s journey and stay inspired:
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Join Us at MAICON 2025
Marketing Artificial Intelligence Conference (MAICON) was created for marketing leaders and practitioners seeking to drive the next frontier of digital marketing transformation within their organizations.
We’re excited to host our 5th annual MAICON—Marketing AI Conference—at this pivotal point for our industry. Join us from October 14 to 16, 2025, in Cleveland, Ohio, and use the special code SPEAKERSERIES100 at checkout to receive $100 off your registration!