CONTACT: Jennifer Read
678-393-9990
jread@ecianow.org
August 18, 2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ECIA Announces Legendary FBI Operative for Executive Conference
Cybersecurity expert helps organizations protect themselves against cybercriminals
Atlanta – ECIA is pleased to announce Eric O’Neill will be the final keynote speaker at the 2026 Executive Conference, themed “Delivering Clarity in Chaos”. Eric is a cybersecurity expert, legendary FBI operative, attorney, and founder of The Georgetown Group and Nexasure AI.
“ECIA members will learn techniques to avoid cyber-crime, an exploding enterprise, fed and enabled by Artificial Intelligence, whose total thefts, constitute the world’s third largest economy according to O’Neill,” commented Stephanie Tierney, Director of Marketing Communications and Member Engagement. “Thanks to this keynote’s sponsor, Micro Commercial Components, attendees will get the most up to date strategies for avoiding costly attacks.”
Eric began his career in the FBI as a graduate of the FBI’s Intelligence Program. He spent the first five years as a field operative in a special surveillance group tasked to surveil and monitor foreign, national, and domestic terrorists and spies.
Eric transitioned from “ghosting” targets from the shadows to direct undercover work with a singular assignment—with little backup or support: Catch his new boss, Robert Hanssen, a 25-year veteran of the FBI, in the act of espionage with the Russians. Hanssen died in a supermax prison last year at the age of 79.
Eric’s edge-of-your seat story is featured in the dramatic thriller, Breach, starring Ryan Philippe and Laura Linney. The film is set inside the FBI, the gatekeeper of the nation’s most sensitive and potentially volatile secrets, and it reveals the story of the greatest security breach in US history. During the Hanssen investigation, Eric worked directly undercover with the spy within the FBI’s Information Assurance Division, created to protect all classified FBI intelligence.
After serving as a national security strategist for several companies, Eric founded The Georgetown Group which has become a premier investigative and security consultancy in Washington, DC. The firm specializes in counterintelligence operations, economic espionage, cybersecurity penetrations, AI-fueled attacks, internal investigations, and security risk assessment.
The ECIA Executive Conference is the PREMIER event for industry executives. The conference is specifically tailored for senior management and executives in the industry's leading companies. The date for the 2026 Executive Conference is October 19-21, 2026, at the Westin O’Hare Hotel. NEW: The 2026 conference opens on MONDAY this year, instead of Sunday. Early bird registration ends soon and the hotel fills up early. Grab your spot at the conference today and get your hotel reservations asap!
Learn more about the conference.
About ECIA
The Electronic Components Industry Association (ECIA) is made up of the leading electronic component manufacturers, their independent manufacturer representatives and authorized distributors. ECIA members share a common goal of promoting and improving the business environment for the authorized sale of electronic components. Comprised of a broad array of leaders and professionals representing all phases of the electronics components supply chain, ECIA is where business optimization, product authentication and industry advocacy come together. ECIA members develop industry guidelines and technical standards, as well as generate critical business intelligence. For more information, visit www.ecianow.org or call 678-393-9990.