Mr. Kobler is an independent consultant based in Hong Kong. He provides advice on China market entry strategy, business development in Asia Pacific, and government relations. He has a diverse professional background as a soldier, diplomat and international business executive over the past forty years.

In 2003-4, Mr. Kobler served as President of the Pacific Basin Economic Council (PBEC), a respected regional business association. While in that position, he initiated a major restructuring of the PBEC organization, including moving its headquarters from Honolulu to Hong Kong.

Prior to joining PBEC, Mr. Kobler was an executive with AT&T in the Asia Pacific region from 1992-2003. During most of that period, he served as President of AT&T China, guiding the formulation and execution of a market entry strategy that enabled AT&T to become the leading foreign telecommunications operator in China. AT&T provided international voice and data services, systems integration, network management and consulting to multinational company customers and global travelers. Under Mr. Kobler's leadership, AT&T negotiated the first Sino-Foreign telecom joint venture, which was launched in March 2002 in Shanghai. Kobler served as Vice Chairman of the Board of the new company.

Before entering business, Mr. Kobler had a distinguished career as a diplomat in the US Foreign Service for nearly 25 years. He held a number of key posts in the State Department and US missions in Asia: a member of US delegations negotiating the Law of the Sea and other economic agreements; Advisor in the Mekong Delta during the Vietnam war; Economic Officer in Saigon during the final evacuation of the American Embassy; Economic Counselor in Beijing; Deputy Consul General in Hong Kong; and Deputy Chief of Mission in Singapore.

Mr. Kobler was educated at Columbia (AB) and Harvard (MPA). He was an intelligence officer in the US Air Force (1963-67), rising to the rank of Captain. He is fluent in mandarin Chinese and Vietnamese.