Published: January 7, 2026 at 7:46 am
Mia Drennan has spent most of her life breaking through glass ceilings.
Earlier this week GLAS, the London FinTech she co-founded in 2011 with £6,000 of capital, secured strategic investment from leading European mid-market private equity firm, Oakley Capital, and one of Canada’s largest institutional investors, La Caisse.
The deal size has not been disclosed but it’s understood to have been in excess of £1bn.
It’s a remarkable story – until you understand a bit more about the driving force behind the business.
Mia Drennan was born in May 1970 and as a teenager joined the air cadets and dreamt of being a fighter pilot.
Unfortunately her passion came several years before female pilots were allowed to join the RAF so she pursued her other passion of art instead.
However, after working as a holiday rep is Corfu she responded to a job advert at a London accountancy – and has never looked back.