Cobus joined Transparency International in 2004 and was appointed Managing Director in 2007. His experience spans the fields of globalisation, development policy, international relations and business management. Cobus has taught and worked at universities, multinational corporations, trade unions and research institutes in managerial and research related roles around the world. During the 1980s and early 1990s, he was active in the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa including as Chair of the African National Congress in Cape Town. He is Chair of the International Civil Society Centre and is a member and former chair of the World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Agenda Council on Transparency and Anti-Corruption. In addition, he serves on the Board of the WEF Partnering against Corruption Initiative. He was identified as one of the 500 most powerful individuals by the Foreign Policy Power Map in 2013 and named as one of the most influential people in security in 2014 by Security magazine. Cobus holds a PhD in Sociology from La Trobe University, Melbourne, and an MPhil in Political and African Studies from the University of Cape Town.