Andrew Barnes and Charlotte Lockhart, the New Zealand-based entrepreneurs and philanthropists, were made Fellow Benefactors of Selwyn College, Cambridge, on 22 October 2026.

The honour recognises the couple's £1 million gift to renovate two late-Victorian student houses on the college site. The houses will be named Barnes Lockhart House after the pair, who are behind the Perpetual Guardian group and 4 Day Week Global. There were more than 300 gifts to the project, together raising £2.5 million towards the £4 million cost.

From Preston to Selwyn

Andrew, who grew up near Preston, was backed by his parents, who saw education as the pathway to improvement. His history and geography teachers at Hutton Grammar School encouraged him to apply.

Speaking about when he first walked through Selwyn's gates, he said: "It was a little bit overwhelming, not least because you were surrounded by so many people who were, in my view, more confident and more able. Selwyn was one of the more egalitarian colleges, but it still had a big private school cohort. As a state school pupil, this was very much alien territory."

Giving back

Andrew read law and archaeology at Selwyn, graduating in 1981, and built a career in business that took him around the world.
"I've been very lucky in my life. I have been successful," he said. "I want to give back to the place that gave me the chance and I want to make sure that people like me are able to come to this place."

The couple have also supported Selwyn's outreach work, which encourages state school students to apply to Cambridge. On average 80% of Selwyn's undergraduates come from state schools across the UK. This year the figure was 79%.

"It's not just creating a better physical environment for teaching and learning here in Cambridge," Andrew said. "It's also to make sure that the pathway is still open, when it often gets harder for people to follow the route I took."

Charlotte did not study at Cambridge, yet Selwyn has a link to her childhood. The college takes its name from George Augustus Selwyn, the first Bishop of New Zealand.

"As a non-alumna I have been thrilled by how welcoming the Selwyn people have been towards me," she said. "The village I grew up in, Howick in Auckland, has strong connections to Bishop Selwyn. We have a church established by him and a road named after him."

The Master, Suzanne Raine, said: "Andrew and Charlotte have been generous friends to Selwyn for several years. We are delighted to welcome them as our Fellow Benefactors. 

“More than 300 alumni and friends have made this project possible and we are grateful to every one of them."

Earlier this year the couple also gave £10 million to the Precision Breast Cancer Institute on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus. A gift of hope | Selwyn College

Selwyn’s renovation will bring a major environmental upgrade to the 20 student rooms at 21 and 23 West Road, and a new accessible room. A new entrance pavilion will link the two houses, providing the main entrance directly from Ann's Court. Work is expected to begin in summer 2027. Read more about the Ann's Court North project. Ann's Court North target met | Selwyn College