Overview

Gerson Lehrman Group (GLG) is the world’s largest and most established expert network. Founded in 1998 in New York City, GLG has evolved from a niche publishing firm to a global leader in first-hand expertise and insights.

As of October 2022, GLG operates offices in 13 countries, managing a network of over 1 million experts worldwide.

GLG's primary business continues to be the one-hour expert phone call. Over the years, the company has experimented with several fields of expertise in an effort to keep expanding, including partnerships with Credit Suisse in 2008, Bloomberg in 2010, as well as the set-up of Q&A website Gplus/GLG High table in 2011, which was later discontinued, and GLG Law, which is currently in operation and provides expert witness services.

Core Services

1. Expert consultations: One-hour phone calls.
2. Surveys.
3. Events: Conferences, roundtables, and workshops.
4. Library: Database of teleconference transcripts and other content, accessible to subscribers.
5. Projects: Longer-term engagements where experts are deployed for in-depth assignments, such as due diligence studies and market assessments.
6. Temporary placements of senior executives or subject matter experts into client organizations.
7. Expert witness services tailored for litigation cases.

Key differentiators

1. Over 1 million experts across industries.
2. Global reach: Offices in 13 countries with multilingual support, with a presence in New York, London, Hong Kong, and Tokyo.
3. Integration of GLG’s library content with third-party platforms like Sentieo.

Historical Evolution

1. 1998: Founded as a publishing company producing sector-specific reports.
2. 1999: Pivoted to building a technical infrastructure for connecting clients with experts, pioneering the expert network model.
3. 2000: GLG starts holding breakfast sessions at the Yale Club in New York City with doctors, researchers, and biotechnology investors.
4. 2002: GLG moves outside healthcare and technology to serve clientele in Power and Energy (afterwards turned Energy and Industrials).
5. 2003: GLG builds office in London and expands its practice domains, including legal, economic, and regulatory affairs.
6. 2004: Received a $30 million investment from Bessemer Venture Partners.
7. 2005: GLG goes into Asia, establishing offices in Hong Kong and Shanghai.
8. 2008: Silver Lake invested $200 million, valuing the company at $875 million.
9. 2015: Strategic equity investment of $212 million from SFW Capital Partners.
10. 2021: Filed for an IPO, which was later withdrawn in 2022 due to market conditions.
11. 2022: Opened offices in Munich and Barcelona.
12. In May 2022 GLG started making its GLG Library content available on the data platform Sentieo, which was bought by Alphasense.
13. 2023: Celebrated its 25th anniversary and appointed Gemma Postlethwaite as CEO, signaling a renewed focus on client-centric innovation.

In March 2024, a ransomware attack exposed the personal data of over 150,000 individuals, leading to reputational and legal risks.

Key Innovations and Initiatives

Social Impact:

1. Launched the Social Impact Fellowship to provide nonprofits with free access to GLG’s insights.
2. Supported COVID-19 relief efforts by offering pro bono services to organizations addressing the pandemic.

Technological Partnerships:

1. Partnered with platforms like Sentieo to aggregate and distribute GLG Library content.

Headquarters

New York, United States