Newport LLC

Kevin Poole advises CXOs of middle-market firms and previously worked as an operating executive at a Fortune 500 company. He spent 12 years as a senior partner with Ernst & Young and Capgemini, advising executive teams in the high-tech, life sciences, and retail industries, and held P&L responsibility for Capgemini's advisory practice in the Western US. Earlier, he spent 20 years at General Electric as an operating executive in a unit delivering consulting services and technology-based solutions.

Peter Pintar advises clients on M&A, post-merger integration, and growth strategy, having led M&A transactions totaling over $20 billion and 13 post-merger integration programs, as well as building strategy and M&A teams at three public companies. He previously served as President and CEO of a $150 million energy and construction/infrastructure services business and worked as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company, where he helped establish the firm in Eastern Europe and Russia. He holds a BA in economics from the University of Wisconsin, an MBA in finance from The Wharton School, and an MA in international relations from Johns Hopkins University.

Karlene Stewart is Managing Director, Chief Financial Officer, and a board member at Newport LLC, which she joined in 2012, where she advises CEOs and owners of middle market companies as a board member and business advisor. She previously spent her early career at Ernst & Young, serving as a partner in tax, audit, and consulting roles specializing in real estate and publicly traded entities, and as the firm's Global Director of the Real Estate and Construction Industry, later working with Concern Worldwide on maternal and child health projects funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. She is a licensed attorney, CPA, and Chartered Accountant in California, and has been a contributing author for Forbes since 2014.

Susan Kearney advises growth-oriented owners and CEOs on building business value and preparing for exits. Her prior experience includes serving as COO at Network for Good, an online fundraising and donor management company, and co-founding Voxant, an online video news business that was sold to Grab Media. She was also part of management teams at a business intelligence software company acquired by Oracle and a marketing automation company acquired by Siebel.

Michael (Mike) Evans is a partner at Newport LLC. He previously spent time at Ernst & Young, where he built and led the firm's Real Estate and Construction Industry practice as Global Director from 1988 to 1998, later serving as Director of Strategic Investments overseeing E&Y's stakes in 40 emerging growth companies, and as a senior partner for Quality and Risk Management across 30 countries. Earlier in his career he worked in investment banking and corporate law, advised middle-market clients in Silicon Valley on tax strategy, and managed projects funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.