History of GLG

1999

Mark, Thomas, and Alexander realize they have the opportunity to do much more than produce reports – they can fundamentally change the way companies conduct primary research.

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.

2000

Gerson Lehrman Group begins hosting small meetings with biotechnology investors, physicians, and scientists over breakfast at the Yale Club in New York City.

2001

GLG expands beyond the healthcare and technology fields, beginning with a Power and Energy practice, which later becomes Energy and Industrials.

2002

GLG continues expansion by region. It now has offices in San Francisco, Boston, and Los Angeles.

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.

2003

GLG opens its first office outside the U.S., in London.

GLG builds out more practice areas, including Legal, Economic, and Regulatory Affairs.

2004

Bessemer Venture Partners leads a $30 million investment in GLG to fuel expansion.

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.

2005

GLG opens an Austin, Texas office which initially focuses on supporting its 70,000 Council Members/experts.

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.

2006

Alexander Saint-Amand becomes Chief Executive Officer of GLG. The company continues to expand beyond its financial services business, which now includes Fortune 1000 companies and professional services firms.

GLG opens offices in India and Singapore.

2008

Silver Lake Partners invests $200 million in GLG. GLG’s growth accelerates across industry verticals and the company continues to develop technology and compliance systems.

GLG opens an office in Japan.

2009

GLG has almost 700 employees and continues to focus on growth –especially in international financial services– and executing in new client segments.

GLG expands its customer reach to serve law firms and life sciences companies. GLG opens an office in Beijing.

2010

An increase in U.S. prosecutions of insider trading brings increased scrutiny to investment research. GLG’s compliance initiatives and its state-of-the-art programs are increasingly valued in this climate.

2011

GLG has almost 750 employees worldwide, including 115 sales professionals, 275 research professionals, and nearly 20 employees in legal and compliance.

2012

GLG Social Impact launches, bringing GLG’s learning platform to the social sector as it begins working with nonprofits.

2013

GLG has more than 900 employees in 21 offices around the world and manages a membership of more than 375,000 Council Members.

GLG incubates GLG Institute, focused on executive learning and mentorship.

2014

GLG formalizes its broader mission to transform the way top professionals learn, with applications far beyond its initial client base.

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.

2015

GLG continues to expand its Council membership, product offering, and global presence. 2015 culminates with SFW Capital Partners making a $212 million strategic equity investment in GLG.

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 global professional services firms and financial institutions. GLG launches its first online video series, Expertise at GLG, featuring GLG experts sharing their perspectives and insights. SFW Capital Partners, a specialized private investment firm that invests in leading information and software businesses, makes a strategic investment of approximately $212 million in GLG to support continued growth, becoming GLG’s largest shareholder.

2016

GLG’s global membership grows to include more than 500,000 experts.

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.

2017

GLG garners record revenue and profit, accelerating expansion as it grows to more than 1,500 employees.

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.

2018

Technology executive Paul Todd becomes GLG CEO, establishing GLG as the world’s leading knowledge marketplace with a re-imagined purpose: We bring the power of insight to every great professional decision.

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, which now totals 45 social sector leaders.

2019

GLG pushes a new wave of growth powered by significant strategic investments, including $50 million in technology and related spending.

GLGers numbers more than 2,000 for the first time, and the Council Member network grows to more than 700,000 experts. The company adds several new senior executives to its leadership team, overseeing aggressive investments in technology, marketing, service innovation, and more. GLG significantly expands its Social Impact work by launching the Social Impact Partners Program, which allows all employees to nominate nonprofits for no-cost access to GLG.