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.
She left comprehensive school with two O-Levels and spent two years at art college before finding herself working as a holiday rep in Corfu, where she spent much of her time photocopying at a graphic design firm and at a call centre.
The direction of her life changed when she responded to an advert for temporary staff at a City accountancy – and never looked back.
Rising star
Drennan’s dream of becoming a fighter pilot may have been grounded but she rapidly proved herself a rising star of the corporate world.
Her first ‘proper job’ was working in the capital markets at KPMG between 1992-95.
Drennan’s early career spanned assignments in a number of global blue chip firms, including banking, legal and professional services.
In 2005 she decided to launch Square Mile Connections, a financial services recruitment business that was borne out of a desire to move recruitment away from the conveyor belt, numbers game industry that it had become.
By the time Drennan exited in 2011 she’d already identified the life-changing career pivot.
During the 2008 financial crisis she spotted an opportunity to rethink how loan administration services were delivered and help individuals to recover lost funds.
Together with her business partner, Brian Came, she invested £6,000 in 2011 and launched FinTech GLAS.
GLAS stands for Global Loan Agency Services but it was an apt name given the number of glass ceilings she’s smashed, especially in the male-dominated world of FinTech.
The company was originally created to provide the market a willing participant in complex loan restructuring transactions where many large institutions are reluctant to take swift and cooperative action.
UK 2025 EY Entrepreneur of the Year winner Mia Drennan, CEO and founder, of GLAS
Last year she told Tony Clark, on the London FinTech podcast, how they operate.
“We sit in between the lender and the company that is borrowing the money, which we would term the borrower, and we facilitate the transaction to happen,” she said.
She also revealed a different side to herself on the podcast. A keen dog lover she found herself adopting a dog from Antigua after her daughter volunteered in a dog sanctuary and persuaded her.
Today GLAS is the world’s largest independent loan agency and trustee services provider – but it was far from an immediate success.
400 meetings
It took Drennan 400 meetings across the City before securing her first deal!
14 years later and GLAS is unrecognisable from that early startup.
With an international platform spanning the UK, Europe, the Americas, APAC, and the Middle East, GLAS manages over $750bn in assets.
Under Drennan’s leadership, GLAS has grown to 450 professionals worldwide and operates from 10 countries, 12 cities, and four continents.
In recent years, GLAS has enjoyed 40 per cent organic revenue growth thanks to its premier service, its global tech-enabled platform, and strong relationships with leading lenders and law firms.
The company has surpassed £100m in revenue and has also benefitted from its ability to support complex transactions, including restructurings and multi-jurisdictional mega loans.
Hardly surprisingly then that Drennan was chosen to represent the UK at the EY World Entrepreneur of the Year in May 2026 in Monaco.
It followed her success at November’s UK final of the EY World Entrepreneur of the Year.
It’s against this backdrop that Oakley Capital and La Caisse have come onboard as strategic investors.
Under the agreement, Oakley has acquired a majority stake in GLAS from Levine Leichtman Capital Partners (LLCP) and La Caisse has taken a minority position, with LLCP retaining a small stake.
The investment will help GLAS accelerate international expansion, pursue M&A, and continue enhancing its technology and AI capabilities.
Unsurprisingly, GLAS will continue to be led by Drennan, alongside the existing executive team, including Ethan Levner, chief financial officer, and Joanne Brooks, chief commercial officer.
Best is yet to come
Despite her success, Drennan believes the best is yet to come.
“We wanted a like-minded partner with an entrepreneurial approach and a reputation for working successfully with founders and management teams,” she said.
“Oakley’s track record in supporting global market leaders, alongside La Caisse’s expertise, will unlock exciting opportunities for GLAS to become a multi-billion-pound platform in the future.”
And she has these three tips for other entrepreneurs: 1. Go for it; 2. Have a clear plan to generate sales; and 3. Set a goal.