Newport LLC Welcomes AI and Cybersecurity Strategist George Tsantes as Partner to Help Mid-Market and Enterprise Leaders Navigate the Intelligent Era

With 35 years at the intersection of financial services, AI, and cybersecurity and boardroom advisory experience trusted by global firms, Tsantes brings rare, deployable expertise to Newport's growing mid-Atlantic advisory team.

WASHINGTON, March 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Newport LLC, a national business advisory firm dedicated to helping owners and executive teams accelerate growth and reduce risk, announced the admission of George Tsantes as Partner in its mid-Atlantic group.

For more than 35 years, Tsantes has served as a Partner at Accenture, a Principal at EY's Financial Services Office, and Chief Technology Officer at Intersections, Inc. He is the lead inventor on five patents in authentication technology. He has advised boards on how to govern cybersecurity and deploy emerging technologies pragmatically, as a discipline with immediate business consequence. His clients include some of the world's most complex financial services and technology organizations, operating across global markets. George is also the co-author of Cybertax: Managing the Risks and Results, published by CRC Press, a definitive guide for business and technology leaders on quantifying and managing the true cost of cyber risk. The book reflects his conviction that cybersecurity is not an IT problem, but a business strategy problem with a price tag that every board needs to understand.

At Newport, George will work directly with CEOs, boards of directors, and investor groups to sharpen corporate strategy, improve operations, and identify the resources needed to build businesses that endure. His focus areas are precise: AI adoption and governance, cybersecurity posture, and board-level risk communication, fintech and SaaS business strategy, and digital transformation that directly optimizes outcomes. For private companies navigating a technology landscape that changes faster than most leadership teams can absorb, that focus is a lifeline.

"George represents exactly the kind of Partner Newport wanted to add to our team. He has navigated the most consequential inflection points in technology and financial services for three decades and now he brings that experience directly to our clients that need it most. In an era defined by AI, and focus on cybersecurity, having a partner who has already done the hard work at the highest levels is a competitive advantage for us ."
— Suniti Ponkshe, Managing Partner, Newport LLC

"We are at an inflection point that arrives perhaps once in a generation. AI is no longer a technology conversation — it is a strategy conversation, a governance conversation, and a survival conversation. Newport's culture of deploying the right expertise at the right moment is exactly the model that today's business leaders need. I am honored to be part of it and energized by the work ahead."
— George Tsantes, Partner, Newport LLC

Advisory Expertise Built for Today's Highest-Stakes Decisions

George advises executive teams and boards on four interconnected disciplines where a single wrong decision can cost years of momentum or create an irreversible edge:

AI & Emerging Technology: From governing large language models to building practical AI roadmaps that a board can defend and a team can execute, Tsantes translates the hype into accountable strategy.

Cybersecurity Governance: He briefs boards on cyber risk in plain language, connecting technical exposure directly to financial and reputational consequence. In a threat environment that never sleeps, that translation is priceless.

Fintech & SaaS Growth Strategy: With deep roots in financial services technology and a history of building and advising SaaS companies, Tsantes helps technology businesses tune their positioning, pricing, and partnerships to drive durable growth.

Digital Transformation: The kind that changes how a company competes. Tsantes has led and advised transformations at organizations where failure was not an option.

About Newport LLC

Newport serves privately owned businesses with strategic insight and advisory services, helping executive teams manage with confidence and build enduring value. Founded in 2011, Newport matches client businesses with the right Partners to support the company's highest need for value acceleration and realization. This enables CEOs to focus on their business. Newport was recently awarded the Inc. Power Partner Award, recognizing firms that have exceptionally empowered their clients to start, run, and grow their businesses at every stage. With Partners spanning most industries, functional expertise, and geographies, Newport offers a senior, integrated team dedicated to strengthening businesses and preparing them for successful outcomes.

About George Tsantes

George Tsantes is a financial services, SaaS, and technology executive with over 35 years of experience advising organizations on cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, digital transformation, and the creation of new capabilities in financial markets. He has held senior roles at Accenture (Partner), EY Financial Services Office (Principal), and Intersections, Inc. (CTO), and is the lead inventor of five patents in authentication. He serves on the Board of Trustees at his alma mater, Virginia Wesleyan University. Outside the boardroom, George is an avid mountain biker, snowboarder, Krav Maga practitioner, and Porsche Club road racer.

SOURCE Newport LLC