Kirsten Durkin Helps Ancestry Uproot to New and Efficient Offices All over the Globe

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When employees at Ancestry, the global leader in family history, were sent home for an indeterminate period of time during the pandemic, the company found that productivity stayed outstanding, employees seemed happy to have the chance to work from their kitchens, and customers experienced no delays in discovering third cousins in Norway or previously unknown Italian heritage. As some organizations began mandating that their people return to the office, Kirsten Durkin, senior director of places for global real estate and facilities, was happy to learn Ancestry wouldn’t be following suit.

But with more employees working from home than ever, it has presented the senior director with the interesting challenge of rightsizing and evolving office spaces—including its international headquarters in Dublin, Ireland—for more flexible working environments for employees who still want an office experience.

Durkin has overseen massive office reorganizations and moves in its US headquarters in Lehi, Utah; its San Francisco; and in Dublin. The most recently completed project in Dublin is a particular highlight for the senior director.

“We recognized that there’s a real advantage to retaining and attracting talent with a hybrid work policy,” Durkin explains. “So, I examined all of the data and research we had available to help the company figure out what would be the ideal size for our international headquarters going forward.”

The former HQ was 10,000 square feet but with a hybrid work policy, Durkin has been able to halve that needed square footage. The Dublin office includes 30 desks that accommodate 125-plus employees who are able to reserve space for the needs depending on the day.

“It was scary, but there was an advantage to being thrown into something that was being built from the ground up.”

Kirsten Durkin

For the first time, Durkin was able to build sustainable language into Ancestry’s lease.

“Sustainability is a big deal for Ancestry, and I’m so happy that we’ve been able to lower our energy usage, space usage, and make sure that sustainability is something we’re able to focus on with our valued partners to help drive that focus forward,” she says.

When it comes to the future of work, Durkin admits that no one really knows the future and for her, that unknown demands respect.

“Everyone across the world is trying to figure out what people want, and I’m not sure they know yet,” Durkin explains. “Everybody wants an answer, and I think the truth is that it’s too early to tell. We have to be patient with our employees. They have experienced so much change in such a short period of time. There are a lot of empty offices right now at so many companies, and that hurts. But if you want to attract the best people, you’ve got to offer some flexibility. We’re in the middle of a huge change right now, and we just need to see it through.”

Durkin is no stranger to massive change. She spent her early career in sales and banking. She was making the kind of money people dream about, but she hated it. Every time she tried to leave, she’d get lured back with an opportunity, and it wasn’t until she took time off to raise her son that she was able to make a clean break.

The senior director reinvented her career in facilities almost by accident. The daycare her son attended was frequented by staff at Lucasfilm, and she became close with several other parents. Durkin asked if there might be a job, any kind of job, available for the company that was relatively close to her home. Durkin started in recruiting but wound up as studio operations lead for one of the most well-known names in Hollywood.

It is imperative to understand that Durkin had no real estate or facilities experience. She just said yes to a challenge. When she came to Ancestry, Durkin wound up building its Lehi headquarters—200,000 square feet—from scratch. But how?

“I had very good people and partners who believed in me,” Durkin says humbly. “It was scary, but there was an advantage to being thrown into something that was being built from the ground up. I learned everything I could about real estate, building, and construction during that project. I just laugh now that I didn’t get kicked out of the room. Our headquarters is so beautiful, and I’m so happy with how it turned out.”

“We have worked with Kirsten over many years and multiple projects. She embodies all of the qualities of a smart, generous, and empathetic leader, focused on the betterment of the culture and well-being of the Ancestry workforce,” says David Galullo, CEO and chief creative officer at Rapt Studio. “She is a great client and wonderful partner.”

Durkin hopes her story can serve as an inspiration to anyone worrying about taking a role that may seem too challenging. She tells her friends regularly that if they want to make a change, they should be open to different kinds of experiences. The key to making that leap of faith count is by embracing it, not fearing it.

In her current role, Durkin has seen so many colleagues working under her strengthen their skill sets and evolve into new areas. It’s a focal point of her mentorship to encourage anyone who seems open to a challenge to take that first step. She is the perfect mentor, because she has been there herself and knows how much support can mean to someone working hard to excel at something new.

Durkin is helping Ancestry do the same, evolving to meet the ever-changing needs of its people. The senior director is herself a success story in just how much you can continue to grow if you’re willing to take a chance.

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