How do you build a global financial services firm in a part of the market most people rarely see? In this episode, Mia Drennan, Founder and CEO of GLAS, shares how she grew an independent loan agency business from just £6,000 into a global platform administering hundreds of billions in assets.
Emerging in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, GLAS identified an opportunity in a function that had traditionally sat within banks but was often under-served. Mia explains how the firm stepped into this gap - bringing focus, execution, and independence to complex loan administration and restructuring scenarios. What began as an entrepreneurial response to market disruption has since evolved into a business operating across private credit, banking, and capital markets on a global scale.
Mia reflects on the role of opportunism and optimism in shaping the company's growth, sharing how early high-stakes mandates helped define its strategy in practice. Looking ahead, she discusses the shift toward a more technology-enabled model, the potential of AI to transform operational processes, and why trust, culture, and human judgement remain essential as the business continues to scale.
Listen to the full episode here