Mark Gerson and Thomas Lehrman, both in their late twenties, raise $1 million to start the company. Alexander SaintAmand joins as an editor during his senior year at college. GLG initially produces reports by engaging industry experts – academics, scientists, and physicians – to write about industries undergoing massive technological or regulatory change.
After attending a number of industry conferences on behalf of potential clients, Alexander witnesses the power of informal, one-to-one, and small group conversations that take place between programmed events. GLG begins building the technical infrastructure that allows it to connect client requests with relevant experts, creating a new professional learning platform.
GLG also begins offering a broader array of products and services to clients, including curated meetings, surveys, and events. Alexander Saint-Amand becomes President and Chief Operating Officer.
GLG builds out more practice areas, including Legal, Economic, and Regulatory affairs.
GLG opens offices in Chicago and Washington, D.C. GLG continues to invest considerable financial resources and thousands of person-hours to create the industry’s most technologically advanced and comprehensive compliance system. GLG’s systems and compliance oversight tools help experts manage conflicts and enable clients to implement their own protocols.
GLG expands into Asia and opens offices in Hong Kong and Shanghai. The company now has more than 200 employees and continues to introduce new practice areas: Accounting and Financial Analysis, Consumer Goods and Services, Financial Business Services, and Real Estate.
GLG opens offices in India and Singapore.
GLG opens an office in Japan.
GLG expands its customer reach to serve law firms and life sciences companies. GLG opens an office in Beijing.
GLG incubates GLG Institute, focused on executive learning and mentorship.
GLG formally launches GLG Institute for executives operating in increasingly complex business, regulatory, and technological environments. Members work with prominent chief executives, technologists, scientists, and policy leaders for intensive counsel, advice, and network building. GLG moves its global headquarters to One Grand Central Place in New York City. The company creates the GLG Social Impact Fellowship, its flagship Social Impact program, to give global social sector leaders access to GLG’s membership at no cost.
GLG has more than 1,100 employees in 22 offices in 12 countries. Its membership comprises more than 425,000 thought leaders and practitioners. GLG’s clients include Fortune 500 Companies in nearly every sector and the leading professional services firms and financial institutions. GLG buys back Silver Lake Partners’ interest in the company, giving GLG’s management and shareholders flexibility to pursue new opportunities and focus on longer-term growth. SFW Capital Partners makes a strategic investment of approximately $212 million in GLG to support continued growth.
GLG continues its product expansion with surveys. The Arnhold Institute for Global Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and GLG partner to create the Mount Sinai-GLG Global Health Scholars program.
GLG moves into larger new offices in Hong Kong, Mumbai, Dublin, Singapore, and Dubai, and doubles the size of its Austin office. GLG launches several new video series. An independent evaluation confirms the success of GLG Social Impact’s Social Impact Fellowship, which adds six new Fellows, bringing the total Fellowship community to 36.
GLG’s headcount rises to 1,800 employees. Its membership now comprises more than 650,000 experts. GLG moves into larger offices in Shanghai, Austin, Seoul, and New York. An independent report by Bruce Reed of Civic, a bipartisan policy ideas company, details the origins of platforms like GLG that connect business to expertise for smarter, faster decisions, and traces the evolution of the sector into a billion-dollar industry. GLG’s Social Impact Fellowship welcomes nine new Fellows to its community now totaling 45 social sector leaders.