The Cohen Group
The Cohen Group is a private consulting firm founded in 2001 by former US Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen, advising multinational corporations on defense procurement, CFIUS, regulatory affairs, and cross-border market entry, delivered by 90+ professionals across six global offices.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2001
- HeadquartersWashington, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What The Cohen Group does
The Cohen Group is a privately held global business consulting firm founded in January 2001 by former US Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen, headquartered in Washington, DC. The firm advises multinational corporations and large enterprises on strategic and tactical matters including market entry, regulatory affairs, business development, deal sourcing, and CFIUS/FOCI/industrial security, with a service model that runs from strategy conception through successful closing. Offerings are organized across 11 industry practices—Aerospace & Defense, Biotechnology & Pharmaceutical, CFIUS/FOCI/Industrial Security, Energy & Resources, Financial Services & Investment, Health Care & Life Sciences, International Trade & Agriculture, Real Estate & Property Development, Strategic Communications, Telecom/Media/Technology, and Transportation & Logistics—and 8 regional expertise areas spanning China, Europe, India, Korea, Latin America, Middle East and Africa, Southeast Asia, and Turkey. There is no proprietary technology platform; the firm's value proposition rests entirely on human expertise and the access of its senior principals.
The firm employs more than 90 professionals and operates from offices in Washington DC (headquarters), London, Beijing, Tianjin, New Delhi, and Brisbane, with the team expanded materially throughout 2024–2025 through the addition of over a dozen former senior US, UK, Australian, and Indian government officials. Revenue is generated through bespoke professional services engagements; pricing is not publicly disclosed and the firm maintains no self-service, marketplace, or channel distribution model. Distribution is exclusively direct enterprise engagement by senior principals, supplemented by a long-standing strategic referral and co-service alliance with global law firm DLA Piper, which extends reach into Latin America and the Caribbean.
Quantified client outcomes disclosed in source material include securing $4 billion in defense equipment sales to multiple countries, CFIUS approval for SoftBank's $22 billion acquisition of Sprint Nextel and Clearwire, more than $140 million in US government funding for a medical supplies manufacturer during the COVID-19 response, more than $250 million in contracts for a medical device manufacturer, and an annualized $35 million project pipeline for a water solutions client in the Middle East. The firm is privately held with no external funding rounds, no parent company, and concentrated ownership with founder William S. Cohen as Chairman and CEO.
The Cohen Group firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Cohen Group
- Legal name
- The Cohen Group
- Website
- https://cohengroup.net
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2001
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- The Cohen Group is a private consulting firm founded in 2001 by former US Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen, advising multinational corporations on defense procurement, CFIUS, regulatory affairs, and cross-border market entry, delivered by 90+ professionals across six global offices.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Cohen Group industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Management Consulting Services
- NAICS
- Management Consulting Services (54161)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Strategy & Corporate Development Consulting (BPAHACAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Corporate Finance & Capital Advisory (BPAHADAB)
Keywords
Where The Cohen Group is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Washington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices6 records
Markets served
The Cohen Group business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Strategic Consulting Services: The Cohen Group provides global business consulting services and advice on tactical and strategic opportunities. Services include business development, market entry, regulatory affairs, and deal sourcing from strategy conception to successful closing.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
The Cohen Group product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Cohen Group is a global business consulting firm providing corporate leadership with strategic advice and practical assistance in business development, market entry, regulatory affairs, and deal sourcing. The firm delivers these services through senior advisors who are former senior government officials, organized around regional expertise (China, Europe, India, Korea, Latin America, Middle East and Africa, Southeast Asia, Turkey) and industry practice areas (Aerospace & Defense, Biotechnology & Pharmaceutical, CFIUS/FOCI/Industrial Security, Energy & Resources, Financial Services, Health Care & Life Sciences, International Trade & Agriculture, Real Estate, Strategic Communications, Telecom/Media/Technology, Transportation & Logistics).
Product overview
The Cohen Group is a global business consulting firm founded in 2001, providing strategic advice and practical assistance in business development, market entry, regulatory affairs, and deal sourcing. The firm operates as a unified consulting service rather than a modular product platform. Its service offerings are organized around two main practice areas: Regional Expertise (covering China, Europe, India, Korea, Latin America, Middle East and Africa, Southeast Asia, and Turkey) and Industry Expertise (including Aerospace & Defense, Biotechnology & Pharmaceutical, CFIUS/FOIC/Industrial Security, Energy & Resources, Financial Services & Investment, Health Care & Life Sciences, International Trade & Agriculture, Real Estate & Property Development, Strategic Communications & Message Development, Telecom Media & Technology, and Transportation & Logistics). The firm leverages relationships with former senior government officials to provide clients with strategic guidance from strategy conception to successful closing.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Business Consulting Services
- Regional Expertise Services
- Aerospace & Defense Practice
- Biotechnology & Pharmaceutical Practice
- CFIUS, FOCI & Industrial Security Practice
- Energy & Resources Practice
- Financial Services & Investment Practice
- Health Care & Life Sciences Practice
- International Trade & Agriculture Practice
- Real Estate & Property Development Practice
Quantifiable outcome
- Secured $4 billion defense contract for client in Europe after 18 months of strategic engagement
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use The Cohen Group
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
The Cohen Group technology and API
TechnologyAPI detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Cohen Group partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- DLA PipercoreThe Cohen Group 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. The partnership extends The Cohen Group's ability to serve clients throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, and enables combined service offerings. DLA Piper's Global Co-Chairs and senior leadership regularly collaborate with Cohen Group principals on client engagements and policy events.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Cohen Group competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Eurasia Group: Eurasia Group is a leading political risk advisory firm founded by Ian Bremmer, providing analysis and advisory on geopolitical risks to corporations, financial institutions, and governments. It is a direct peer to TCG in the geopolitical and international strategy advisory market, with comparable clientele and similar dependence on senior expert talent.
- Dentons Global Advisors (formerly Albright Stonebridge Group): Founded by former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and Sandy Berger, ASG merged into Dentons Global Advisors in 2021 to form a global geopolitical and commercial advisory firm. It directly competes with TCG in international strategy advisory, with a similar model of leveraging former senior US government officials to advise multinational clients.
- McLarty Associates: McLarty Associates is an international strategic advisory firm founded by former White House Chief of Staff and special envoy Thomas "Mack" McLarty. Like TCG, it provides cross-border strategic advice to multinationals using deep relationships with current and former senior government officials across multiple regions.
- WestExec Advisors: WestExec Advisors is a strategic advisory firm founded by Michèle Flournoy and other former senior national security officials, providing clients with policy, geopolitical, and defense industry advice. It is a direct peer in the national security and defense advisory niche, competing for similar A&D and government-engagement engagements.
- BGR Group: BGR Group is a premier government affairs, lobbying, and strategic communications firm with deep bipartisan ties and former senior government officials. It competes with TCG in government relations, international affairs, and public policy advisory, particularly for clients seeking both Washington advocacy and international business development.
- Beacon Global Strategies: Beacon Global Strategies is a strategic advisory firm focused on national security, defense, technology, and intelligence, founded by former senior congressional and executive branch officials. It is a direct peer to TCG's Aerospace & Defense and national security practices, with overlapping client bases in defense primes and tech companies.
- FP1 Strategy: FP1 Strategy is a bipartisan government relations and strategic advisory firm. It competes with TCG for clients seeking government engagement, regulatory navigation, and public affairs support, though it is more US-domestically focused while TCG is more international.
Broad incumbents
- Teneo: Teneo is a global CEO advisory firm offering strategic communications, management consulting, and financial advisory. While much broader in scope than TCG, its government affairs and geopolitical advisory offerings overlap with TCG's strategic communications and international affairs practices, particularly for Fortune 500 clients.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Cohen Group social profiles
Digital presenceThe Cohen Group financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Cohen Group leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles29 records
The Cohen Group funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Cohen Group M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Cohen Group
What does The Cohen Group do?
The Cohen Group is a global business consulting firm providing corporate leadership with strategic advice and practical assistance in business development, market entry, regulatory affairs, and deal sourcing. The firm delivers these services through senior advisors who are former senior government officials, organized around regional expertise (China, Europe, India, Korea, Latin America, Middle East and Africa, Southeast Asia, Turkey) and industry practice areas (Aerospace & Defense, Biotechnology & Pharmaceutical, CFIUS/FOCI/Industrial Security, Energy & Resources, Financial Services, Health Care & Life Sciences, International Trade & Agriculture, Real Estate, Strategic Communications, Telecom/Media/Technology, Transportation & Logistics).
Is The Cohen Group a public or private company?
The Cohen Group is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was The Cohen Group founded?
The Cohen Group was founded in 2001. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is The Cohen Group based?
The Cohen Group is headquartered in Washington, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Cohen Group make money?
One revenue line is on record: strategic Consulting Services.
Who are The Cohen Group's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Eurasia Group, Dentons Global Advisors (formerly Albright Stonebridge Group), McLarty Associates, WestExec Advisors, BGR Group, Beacon Global Strategies and FP1 Strategy. Teneo is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does The Cohen Group have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Cohen Group.
What industry is The Cohen Group in?
The Cohen Group's product category is Management Consulting Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHACAA, Strategy & Corporate Development Consulting, with a secondary code of BPAHADAB, Corporate Finance & Capital Advisory. Its NAICS code is 54161 and its SIC code is 8742.