Introducing Excel on the Road: Who Are We and What on Earth Are We Doing?

Who are we?

Fay here. I have an Audit Analytics background, but I've spent the past five years as a digital skills trainer, helping people all over the world upskill in Innovation, Excel, and AI tools. I’m passionate about making learning experiences relevant, useful, and fun!

Last year I learned Swedish, which yes, sounds random, but it genuinely reshaped how I think about motivation, learning habits, and what keeps people going when things get difficult. Spoiler: those lessons apply directly to how people are (and aren't) embracing AI in 2026.

Giles here. I'm one of eight Master Financial Modellers in the world (certified with the FMI), and one of only three people who also holds Microsoft MVP status alongside that.

I have an alter ego called The Humble MVP, who really likes attention (lucky it’s just the alter ego, right?). We might reference that at times throughout this series, so be prepared!

We both have a passion for helping people improve and build confidence with Excel, data literacy and, more recently, skills with AI - something that’s on everyone’s minds right now.

So, what exactly is Excel on the Road?

We've packed up, hit the road, and are spending at least twelve months travelling the world to meet people, share knowledge, and learn.

Our three main projects are:

• Delivering upskilling training to corporate teams;
• Attending or hosting Excel events, talks and Excel Esports battles at universities (more on this shortly); and
• Documenting everything we learn along the way to share back with communities like this one.

We're both heavy users of AI tools in our daily work, but Giles definitely needs some convincing when it comes to Copilot! You’ll be hearing lots more about this too over the course of this series, starting with a bit of a face-off between Copilot (one of Fay’s favourite tools), and Claude (Giles’s absolute favourite tool).

So, what exactly is Excel on the Road?

Three weeks in, and we've already covered some decent ground. For this opening leg we've been travelling by motorhome, complete with a Starlink satellite setup, to Bruges and then on to Amsterdam.

Bruges was really just about getting familiar with the motorhome setup, working out how to properly use Starlink (it turns out it does really help if you point it at the sky correctly).

In Amsterdam we did two things in quick succession. We met up with the London Excel Meetup group, who were on one of their “holidays” abroad, and we then presented to students at Amsterdam University.

That second session was a reminder of why we're doing this. The students had never experienced Excel Esports before, and seeing the moment they realised that competitive Excel is a real, serious thing, was one of those moments that made us so happy we decided to hit the road.

Tips of the month

As well as sharing a few quick updates about our travels, we’ll also be sharing some skills tips with each article.

Fay's tip: AI agents and Excel

If you're starting to use AI agents with Excel (such as Microsoft's recently released "Edit with Copilot" feature), try adding a dedicated worksheet to your workbook called Skills or Instructions. This gives the agent a clear framework to work within: your constraints, formatting preferences, goals, and methodologies, rather than leaving it to guess. Useful columns to include are Skill name/ID, Skill description, Constraint/rule, and Example/expected output. It's a small addition that makes a significant difference to the quality of what the agent produces (and saves you time as you don’t have to repeat yourself!)

Giles’s tip: Excel Esports

Instead of a traditional tip this month, I want to plant a seed. If you haven't heard of Excel Esports, please go and look it up. Competitive Excel is a legitimate, growing global phenomenon where esports players race to solve Excel challenges under tournament conditions. It is, in my entirely unbiased opinion, one of the most effective and entertaining ways to sharpen real-world Excel skills.

Fay and I are both part of the team that organises the Excel UK Championship, which feeds into the world competition. The UK Championship is a fantastic place to start your Excel Esports journey.

Over the coming months I'll be sharing specific techniques, shortcuts, and approaches drawn directly from the competitive scene. I train every week with some of the very best players in the world (which just means they help me get better!).

For now, just know that this exists. The tips will start flying in from the next article in our series.

What's coming next?

More thoughts from us about AI tools, about how different teams around the world are approaching digital upskilling, about Excel and modelling, and about anything that happens to us while we’re travelling that we think will either make you laugh or add some sort of value to your life!

If there are topics you'd like us to cover, whether that's Excel, AI, financial modelling, or the general logistics of working and travelling at the same time, you can find us on LinkedIn, Instagram and TikTok. We'd love to hear from you.

And if we don't hear anything, we'll take that as permission to dive straight into our Copilot vs. Claude deep dive. Fair warning: it's not the competition you might expect.

Until next time!

Fay & Giles,

Excel on the Road