- The U.K. boss of luxury luggage brand Antler splits her time between London, Sydney, New York—and a beachside home on Britain’s coast. Here’s how Kirsty Glenne powers through long-haul flights, stays connected to her school-age children across continents and balances the demands of a global career.
Like many during the pandemic, Kirsty Glenne, the managing director of the luxury luggage brand Antler, moved out of the city in search of a quieter pace of life. Somewhere to truly unwind from the pressure of holding an executive role and enjoy more nature: The British coast.
“About three years ago, we (she, her husband and two kids) moved out of London to try and get more balance. So we live on the beach and down in Poole, and it’s gorgeous,” she tells Fortune. “I still work in London every week, but I’ve just changed the way I live and work to accommodate more of a lifestyle.” It’s some 180 kilometres from the capital—or, over a 5-hour round trip by train.
“I always have a suitcase on the end of my arm, because I’m living hybrid,” she says, adding that she stays at her sister’s London abode on office days.
And when she’s not going back and forth from the beach to the city, the 44-year-old is frequently abroad; The 111-year-old British brand recently expanded its prescence into the U.S. and Australia as part of its mission to hit £100 million sales ($134 million) in the next four years—and Glenne, who has luxury experience at brands like Alexander McQueen and Dr. Barbara Sturm, was brought in to spearhead the expansion.
“It’s not too crazy,” Glenne says of the travel, “and it’s where we’re investing in the brands, and to make sure we show up in a relevant way. So it’s always quite strategic and with a purpose.”
For example, to make the 22- to 25-hour flight to Sydney more manageable (both mentally and environmentally), she limits the trip to twice a year, staying for several weeks each time. She also adds nearby destinations like Japan to make the most of the long journey.
“Asia is on the agenda for us in terms of business development. I’m out there and scoping the market,” she adds. “And then New York is probably about once a quarter, because that’s our strategic region.”
And unlike taking a year-long sabbatical or a month-long vacation where you can fully switch off, traveling for work demands a whole different kind of stamina: powering through meetings after a red-eye flight, adjusting to jet lag and constantly juggling calls across time zones to stay connected with family.
In Glenne’s own words: “It’s always quite a crazy balance, particularly if you’re a woman and you’ve got kids.”
So here are her top tips for balancing a demanding career, constant travel, and family life:
Carry-on must-haves
Her long-haul essentials include a hydrating skincare routine—“your own hyaluronic serum that you love, a face mask”—a chunky pillow and sleep mask, plus electrolytes, a podcast or two, and a full gym kit.
“I’m not a gym bunny, but I do try to jog off jet lag—or at least walk it off and get some fresh air,” she says.
Glenne also always packs her first three days of outfits in her carry-on, “just in case your checked bag gets lost.”
No in-flight food (except maybe some emergency gummies)
While many try to make the most of the free in-flight meal, snacks and booze, Glenne usually opts to forgo it completely.
“I’ll try to eat really healthfully before I get on a flight,” she says, adding that the salt and additives added to the ready-made meals put her off.
“And you wouldn’t normally sleep on a full stomach. So I just try to keep everything as business as usual and load up before I go on food that I think is as healthy as possible.”
In the case of flying to Australia, she’ll “maybe eat breakfast on the other side, because it’s 24 hours for that one.”
Plus, she’ll always bring a little snack (or two) from home with her: “I will always have something sweet, little mints or Wine Gums—something that you can nibble on, one at a time, if you just need a little time passer.”
Avoiding jet lag
After enduring an entire day flying, Glenne often has to be at her a-game the next day for work. She hasn’t got time to waste on jet lag, so she’s got her routine down to a T.
“It’s all about a completely strategic planning of what flight you take and what you do when you land,” she says. She doesn’t take any sleeping “pills or potions” like melatonin, because they make her feel worse. Instead, she’ll book a night flight to sync with her natural sleep rhythm, skip in-flight meals to focus on catching those Z’s and drink “just water and electrolytes.”
When she lands, typically between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m., she’s straight into action: “I’ll take the morning, try to figure myself out and then get going. I just power through.”
Her secret weapon? A massage as soon as she gets off a long-haul flight, if she can. “It really resets me,” she says. Failing that, Glenne will always try to get some fresh air as soon as possible. “Go outside, either walk or jog, and that is actually a really good way just to sort of shake it off.”
“Then I’ll go to the office in the afternoon. You’ve got to stay awake, so you may as well do something.”
But whatever you do, if you want to avoid jet lag, don’t arrive in the evening: “That really messes you up—you’re never going to manage to fall asleep again.”
Communicating with the kids with a 9-hour time difference
Being away from home for nearly two months of the year isn’t easy, especially when you have two young children aged 9 and 12.
“At the beginning of the year, I was literally gone for three weeks, that’s a long time for little kids, so you’ve got to commit to showing up somehow for the family, even though you’re gone,” Glenne says. “They’re very aware that Mommy’s not there.”
She makes a point of staying present, even when she’s on the other side of the globe—and doesn’t try to hide it. Instead, she leans into the distance, turning it into an adventure for the kids, too.
“You take them on the journey with you and they learn a lot from that. I think it’s incredibly healthy for little kids to know you leave and come back and that you are somewhere interesting—and you share that with them.”
“So when I’m having poached eggs on toast for breakfast, they’re brushing their teeth to go to bed, because we’re in absolutely opposite time zones, and then you show them on the map that they’re literally on the top and I’m on the bottom of the world. And that’s quite cool.”
She also promotes being honest with your employer about there being a life on the other side of work that you’re trying to balance: “When there’s important things, (like a kids birthday) you have to just be transparent with your business and manage your calendar around it—if you need to be there for them, work that out.”
