Paige Ivey-Bond

Can you tell me about yourself?

PIB: I’m Paige, I’m 26 and I enjoy cooking, running and reading. I started running during COVID and completed my first half marathon last year and also started a book club with friends in London.

I moved from Lowestoft to London in 2021 for a job at GLAS, originally, I worked in the Transaction Support Group for a year and a half. I then worked as a Junior Transaction Manager for TMG France for two years and in October last year, I joined the Client Relationship Management team (CRM).

What did you do before joining GLAS?

PIB: I did a degree in French and History at Newcastle University. I graduated in 2020 during COVID, so I spent the first six months working from home, working in customer service for an online wine retailer.

Then I got a job at GLAS in January 2021. I graduated nearly five years ago, it feels like it’s gone so quickly!

Why did you decide to join GLAS?

PIB: A recruiter reached out to me and told me about the role at GLAS. I had been looking at finance as an industry, rather than following a typical route for my degree and wanted to move to London, so it all aligned. There are a broad range of roles in the industry that I thought could be interesting but I didn’t know where to start as my degree was not in finance, so the entry level role was perfect for me.

I didn’t know a lot about third party agencies or GLAS initially, but after a lot of research, I was interested in the opportunity to talk to the teams and I really liked the people that I met in the interviews.

How long have you worked at GLAS?

PIB: I’ve worked at GLAS for over four years in three different teams. I have not worked anywhere else as long as I have at GLAS.

I’ve chosen to stay here because everyone I’ve worked with has been willing to facilitate training which has helped me grow.

I have been given countless opportunities to expand my knowledge within GLAS and connect with teams across the business and around the world. With the company culture being so friendly and the ability to learn new things, there is no reason to leave.

Can you describe your role at GLAS?

PIB: My role in the CRM team is to work with our key clients and if they have any issues, they are escalated to CRM for us to assist. We then try and work with internal teams to provide a workable solution and help to ensure that we can provide the best service to these clients.

We also reach out to our clients throughout the lifecycle of a transaction to make sure that everything is running smoothly and to offer any other services if these would be useful.

How has your role evolved over time?

PIB: Initially my role was quite administrative when I was in the Transaction Support Group and I was helping with tasks to develop our internal system that we have developed, OneView. As part of my role I had to log and file any new security documents and assist the Transaction Managers in posting Information Undertakings documents to DebtDomain.

Then, I moved to the Transaction Management Group (TMG), working on a portfolio of different transactions including Project Finance, Real Estate, LBOs and Fund Finance, running the management of day to day queries, drawdowns, waivers and amendments. There were still administrative elements to this role, however, there was an increased focus on working with external clients.

My job has recently evolved again to be completely client focused. This is the start of my fourth month in the CRM team, and I think I am really going to enjoy this role as I will be interacting with people more.

I really enjoyed the operational side of TMG. However, I am a people person, and this new role has enabled me to talk to more people and use these problem-solving skills more often.

How did you find switching between teams at GLAS?

PIB: It can be quite overwhelming moving teams as there is a lot of new information to digest but the process has been straightforward and my team have been really welcoming and helpful.

I completed a lot of training initially and I have gotten to see the business from a totally different perspective. The transition was made easier having had previous experience in other teams, knowing how they operate and what they need from me in this new role.

What do you like the most about working at GLAS?

PIB: The people are the thing I like most about working at GLAS.

There’ a range of people from different backgrounds and ages which make it a great environment to work in. Even though what we do is quite stressful at times – everyone works together, has a positive attitude and treats each other with respect.

How would you say GLAS differs from other companies that you’ve worked with?

PIB: I think GLAS adapts and is open to change more than other companies that I have worked for before. Even though they have been in different industries, the culture here feels more agile.

The only companies I worked for before joining GLAS were during the COVID pandemic, so they lacked the human interaction aspect. Now I get to come in, speak to all my colleagues, do things outside of work and socialise with my colleagues. People are friendly and I have closer working relationships because we can spend time together.

What is the most interesting project you’ve worked on at GLAS?

PIB: Although I am not on the tech side, the most interesting long-term project for me has been the evolution of the OneView platform.

When I was in TSG, the site was very new, and I assisted in creating sites for each of our transactions. As a Transaction Manager, I tested new features like the security register and for the French team this was an invaluable upgrade to reduce our workload as it automated a legally required manual task. It has been fascinating to see the platform evolve and actively provide new solutions internally to help us provide better service to our clients.

What would you say has been the most enjoyable part of your time at GLAS?

PIB: Working for TMG France team was great – I have visited Paris several times, met the teams and used my French language skills which was a huge benefit for me. During the event to celebrate GLAS’ acquisition of Pristine, I got to meet clients I had spoken to many times over email. In the TMG team, I travelled a few times a year. I haven’t travelled with CRM yet but I am excited to visit Paris again in a CRM capacity in March.