Pros
I was with GLG for 11 years and left a senior level. I watched the company grow significantly during that time, but the reasons I loved working there on Day 1 remained the same on my final day in the office. I experienced the company in the London and New York offices and traveled quite a bit to Austin, as well. After being in the work force for 20 years at this point and working in a number of different companies, I can say honestly that I have never seen a company that does a better job at hiring smart, curious, fun, social people, and then gives them an opportunity to exercise those skills regularly. The core of what GLG does only grows with intellectual curiosity of the people that it hires. To be clear, I am no Pollyanna-- I had some good days and some bad days-- really great managers and some with "room for improvement". With any quickly growing company, there were days and or stages of my career that provided more or less stimulation--some days would be spent doing what felt like data entry or scheduling. But these days were far surpassed by the good days--chatting with clients who were founding partners are successful PE firms or hedge funds, Council Members who were any one from former heads of state to the leading baked goods expert in France. I learned about topics I always and never wanted to know about-- the creation of the eurocrisis to sausage casings in Texas. And, again, the people who were there consistently with equally as interesting chat were the my work colleagues at GLG. GLGers have very quick exposure to the world's foremost thought leaders (on the council member side) and clients who are some of the sharpest from the financial services, consulting and corporate worlds. The company is also at a pivot point right now, and the CEO is making changes. Some have been great, some not so great, and some he's learned from and changed. The CEO and leadership team, though, are passionate about the business and are with the folks on the floor a lot to ensure they are guiding the company in the right way and that people are on board. The leadership team is also a good group of people-- and I don't think you see that a lot at the exec level. I left the company for personal reasons, but I left with a heavy heart. GLG is a great place to be, it is what you make it, and I am excited to see where the company is in the next few years.
Cons
Over the years, there was a spottiness in the consistency of promotions. GLG erred on the side of promoting technicians/people who were great at their job vs people who are good managers. The new CHRO is lazer-focused on this issue, though, and it is having an impact.