Qualified accountant with over 10 years Excel experience. Patient and understanding teaching style for beginners, intermediate or experienced Excel users.

Find out more about Ben

• Can you tell us about your first experience using a computer?

  When I was younger I had a computer with Encarta installed on it. Unlike Wikipedia which is updated daily and is available online Encarta was an encyclopaedia that was updated each year and had be purchased and installed annually. I regularly used it for my school work as there was no Google or ChatGPT at the time.

• What is the technological evolution that has marked you most and what will be, in your eyes, a turning point in this field?

  Definitely the internet. It has revolutionised how people work, socialise and conduct business. There is even Excel online now!
  It's the foundation of so many essential parts of modern life, like search engines, streaming services and social networks which all owe their existence to the internet.
  The next step in this area will be the integration of AI. Chatbots like ChatGPT mean that instead of Googling something you can ask a question and get a detailed answer in seconds. This will radically change the way people work as it may replace or enhance many professions that are likely to be very different in the years ahead due to AI advancement.

• Explain your expertise, your interest in it and, more broadly, its importance in the computer world.

  My expertise is in using Microsoft Excel, with an emphasis on automating processes and analysing data.
  I was always interested in how things could be done better to not only save time, but also reduce errors, and researched as much as possible the more advanced functions and features in Excel to try and do my job more efficiently.
  As Excel is used by businesses globally it's important that it's used in a way that reduces errors as businesses make decisions based on spreadsheets daily. Reducing spreadsheet risk will help businesses make more informed decisions, as well as help people to be more confident in doing their job.

• Do so-called 'visionaries', such as Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg inspire you or do you have other role models?

  I would be inspired by them as being people in the tech world who had the initiative and willingness to take risks to do what other before them had not.
  Whilst very famous successful people can provide inspiration, I believe you can learn from anyone, not just tech revolutionaries.
  I would not be where I am today if it were not for the professionals that I have worked with and learnt from throughout my careers who have shared their knowledge and best practices for how they do their job.
  Not all role models need to be global celebrities and anyone who can show you how to improve or do things better can be a role model.

• Provide a valuable anecdote related to your subject or your days at school.

  I have started new jobs where people have handed over spreadsheets and told me how to complete them. The process often involved manual steps and took a long time to complete.
  By changing the formulas and processes used to prepare the spreadsheet I managed to take a spreadsheet that took hours to update and turned them into processes that took minutes.
  This showed me that Excel is not good or bad, but it can be used in a good or bad way.

• What would you say to an uncomfortable person in front of a screen who says that "IT is too complicated"?

  IT is a broad term. Someone who works in database management and someone who works in software engineering both work in IT but have very different skills and may not be able to do each others job.
  Don't get intimidated by IT as a big concept and focus on what you need to know to achieve your goals.
  If you use Excel at work and want to get better at it then by improving your IT skills in that area you will improve your ability to do your job and don't need to worry about the other areas of IT that are not relevant to you.
  No one knows everything or expects you to know everything about IT so find what interests you and improve from there.

• What are your other passions, related or non-related to computers?

  In my free time I love film and food, both cooking and eating.
  
  I am always on the lookout for a new recipe or good film recommendation.

• What makes you a Superprof in IT?

  My professional background is in accounting, not IT, so I have learnt all my Excel skills on the job so know what it is like to use Excel at both a beginner and at an advanced level, as well as real world examples of how people use Excel.
  I also use Excel everyday in my job and am still trying to continuously improve by keeping up to date with the latest trends and advancements in Excel.
  Most of all I really enjoy using Excel and have a passion for helping other people use it to its fullest extent so I am fortunate to be able to teach something I am passionate about and this comes across in the way I teach.