Andrew Barnes

Andrew has spent a career trying to identify the gap between how things are and how they could be and doing something about it. From digitising the fiduciary services industry in New Zealand to igniting a global conversation about the 4 Day Week, the thread running through everything is a restlessness with the status quo and a conviction that good ideas, pursued with persistence and evidence, can change things. Andrew grew up with a deep love of history, archaeology, and holds a MA from Selwyn College, Cambridge. That background shapes how he thinks about time, legacy, and what it means to leave something of value for the people who come after us. The 4 Day Week trial he ran at Perpetual Guardian in 2018 was an experiment, grounded in a genuine belief that treating people as intelligent adults who can manage their own time is both the right thing to do and the smart business decision. The global response to that trial still surprises him. If it turns out that the 4 Day Week is his legacy, he can live with that. It is why he is heading back to Cambridge in 2026 to study the long-term macro benefits of reduced-hour working. To read his full bio click here. To read his proposed study topic in more detail click here.