Ambassador Paul Myler, former Deputy Chief of Mission at the Australian Embassy in Washington, has joined The Cohen Group as a Senior Counselor.
“Ambassador Myler is one of Australia’s most respected diplomats,” said former Defense Secretary Bill Cohen, Chairman of The Cohen Group. “He brings deep expertise and connectivity in the Australian, Southeast and Central Asian, and European markets, and he will be a significant addition to our team supporting clients across industries.”
Ambassador Myler led a distinguished 30-year career with Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, retiring as a Minister. From 2021–2024, Ambassador Myler served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the Australian Embassy in Washington, DC. In this role, he advised three Ambassadors through significant geopolitical and economic shifts, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the establishment of AUKUS, the strengthening of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, and the reinforcement of critical supply chains, among other developments.
Ambassador Myler was Australia's Ambassador to Russia and the countries of Central Asia from 2013–2015. He has held numerous leadership roles within the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, including Assistant Secretary for Northeast Asia; Assistant Secretary for India and Indian Ocean; Assistant Secretary for Strategic Issues and Intelligence; and Assistant Secretary for Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe. Ambassador Myler served as Chief of Staff to the Hon. Martin Ferguson AM MP, Australia’s Minister for Resources and Energy and Minister for Tourism from 2010–2011. He also led the Australian diplomatic response to the Global Financial Crisis and the evolution of the G20 through his roles as head of the International Financial Crisis Task Force and as a member of Australia’s International Economic Policy Group.
Ambassador Myler received a Bachelor of Commerce, Accounting, and Finance degree from the University of Western Australia in 1991 and a Bachelor of Laws in 1994. He received a Master of Arts in Foreign Affairs and Trade from Monash University in 2002.
Ambassador Myler joins a distinguished group of senior leaders at the firm who provide strategic advice and practical assistance to the firm’s clients. In addition to Secretary Cohen, those leaders include:
- General Joseph Ralston, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander and former Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff;
- Ambassador Marc Grossman, former US Ambassador to Turkey, former Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, and former US Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan and a Career Ambassador;
- Ambassador Nicholas Burns, former US Ambassador to China, former Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, and former US Ambassador to NATO;
- General Jim Mattis, former US Secretary of Defense, former Commander of US Central Command and US Joint Forces Command, and former Supreme Allied Commander Transformation;
- General Paul Kern, former Commander of the Army Materiel Command and former Senior Advisor for Army Research, Development, and Acquisition;
- Ambassador Arun Singh, former Indian Ambassador to the United States, France, and Israel;
- Air Chief Marshall Sir Angus Houston, former Chief of the Australian Defense Forces and former Chief of the Australian Air Force;
- Ambassador Jeff Davidow, former US Ambassador to Mexico, Venezuela, and Zambia and a Career Ambassador;
- Ambassador Mike McKinley, former Senior Advisor to the Secretary of State, former US Ambassador to Brazil, Afghanistan, Colombia, and Peru and a Career Ambassador;
- General Mike Scaparrotti, former Supreme Allied Commander, Europe, and Commander of US European Command, and former Commander of US Forces Korea UNC, CFC;
- General Tim Radford, former Deputy Supreme Allied Commander, Europe, and UK Ministry of Defence Head of Overseas Operations;
- Lieutenant General Harry Raduege, former Director of the Defense Information Systems Agency and former Manager of the National Communications System;
- Lieutenant General David Bassett, former Director of the Defense Contract Management Agency and former Army Program Executive Officer for Command, Control, and Communications-Tactical and Ground Combat Systems;
- Lieutenant General Edward Cardon, former director of the U.S. Army of Business Transformation and former Head of the Army Cyber Command;
- Lieutenant General Charles Hooper, former Director of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, former US Defense Attaché to China, and former Director of Strategy, Plans, and Programs at US Africa Command;
- Major General Kim Crider, former Chief Technology and Innovation Officer for the United States Space Force and former Chief Data Officer for the United States Air Force;
- Ambassador Craig Allen, former President of the US-China Business Council and former US Ambassador to Brunei;
- Ellen Embrey, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Force Health Protection and Readiness;
- Dave Rank, former Deputy Chief of Mission and Chargé d'Affaires at the US Embassy in Beijing;
- Jennifer Gavito, former Ambassador-Nominee to Libya and former Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs; and
- Pete Verga, former Special Advisor to the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security.
Formed in 2001, The Cohen Group is comprised of more than 80 professionals with many decades of combined experience working in top-level positions in Congress, the White House, the State Department, the Defense Department, the intelligence community, and other federal agencies and in European and Asian governments, international organizations, and the private sector.
With a presence in Washington, London, Beijing, New Delhi, and Brisbane, The Cohen Group provides its business clients the insights needed to better understand and shape the business, political, legal, regulatory, and media environments in which they operate. This includes both developing strategic business plans to help clients achieve their objectives and actively participating with clients in the execution of those plans.
The Cohen Group also has a strong strategic partnership with DLA Piper, a global law firm with lawyers located in more than 40 countries throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia Pacific.