Ambassador Craig Allen joined The Cohen Group in 2025 after serving as the President of the US-China Business Council (USCBC) from 2018 to 2024, a private, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization representing over 200 American companies doing business in China. Prior to his leadership at USCBC, Ambassador Allen was the United States Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam from December 19, 2014, to July 2018.

Before his ambassadorial role, Ambassador Allen had a long and distinguished career in US public service, primarily within the Department of Commerce. He served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Asia at the Department’s International Trade Administration and later as Deputy Assistant Secretary for China. His prior overseas assignments include serving as the Senior Commercial Officer at the US Embassy in Beijing, where he held the Minister Counselor rank of the Senior Foreign Service. He also served as Senior Commercial Officer in South Africa and as Deputy Senior Commercial Officer at the US Embassy in Tokyo.

Earlier in his career, Ambassador Allen worked at the National Center for APEC in Seattle, contributing to APEC Summits in Brunei, China, and Mexico. He held commercial attaché positions at the U.S. Embassies in Beijing and Tokyo and at the American Institute in Taiwan, where he was Director of the American Trade Center in Taipei. He began his government career in 1985 as a Presidential Management Intern at the Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration, later serving as an international economist in its China Office.

Ambassador Allen holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Asian Studies from the University of Michigan and a Master of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University.

Prior to joining The Cohen Group, Mr. Robert Tyrer served as the Chief of Staff to the Secretary of Defense from 1997–2001. In this capacity, he provided strategic advice and daily counsel to Defense Secretary William Cohen on all aspects of national security policy and helped oversee the daily worldwide operations of the Department of Defense. As a key advisor, he participated in the Secretary's discussions with foreign political, military, and business leaders in over 40 capitals and maintained strong ties with them throughout his tenure.

In addition, he worked to achieve consensus within the defense industry, Congress, the White House, and other federal agencies on a host of sensitive and complicated security issues involving military operations, equipment modernization, personnel, budget, and military installations worldwide. He was the Secretary's primary liaison with the White House chief of staff and other senior White House officials, as well as with cabinet counterparts. In that capacity, he played a key Pentagon role in presidential initiatives such as NATO enlargement and the Middle East Peace Process and received the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service for his accomplishments.

Before entering the Pentagon, Mr. Tyrer served 21 years on Capitol Hill in virtually every capacity a congressional staff member can play, becoming a highly sought after political, media, and campaign adviser throughout Washington. As Chief of Staff to Senator Cohen from 1989–1996, he was the Senator's senior political and policy adviser and was a key player in all political activity in the State of Maine from the municipal level to the State House. He also managed the legislative work of numerous committees and subcommittees the Senator chaired in addition to a staff of nearly 100 dispersed in nine offices.