In this blog series, we’re interviewing the Microsoft Most Valuable Professionals (MVPs) that work at ANS.
Chris Huntingford is the Director of Innovation at ANS. He works closely with Microsoft to explore new and emerging technologies, and then he helps ANS to bring them to the market. He is responsible for creating the delivery mechanisms for new tech, such as Copilot, and making them accessible and relevant for customers.
If you could create a new feature for Microsoft Office, what would it be and why?
Bring Clippy back! (I think Copilot is secretly super advanced Clippy)
What’s your favourite keyboard shortcut, and how has it changed your life?
Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V. I can quickly copy and paste text or other items. I struggle with spelling and letter / number placement so for me even when I was writing code, this was so helpful. Microsoft’s most Powerful accessibility tool EVER! Windows R is also my favourite, that opens the Windows run box allowing you to access files, programmes, and tools. When I was doing networking, my favourite command was “Ping” so I could see if other machines on the network were alive and configured correctly. I still do this to this day… mainly to check internet connectivity 😀
If you could have a conversation with Clippy, what would you ask it and why?
I would ask Clippy where all the awesome Easter eggs are inside the older versions of Microsoft Word and Excel, because there are some very cool little bits of functionality to be found. I think in Excel 95 or Word 95 there are actually rumoured to be little micro games secretly hidden in the products. I’d love to see those.
What’s the most creative use of Excel you’ve ever seen or done yourself?
Excel had a tool set embedded called Excel power Tools! This was the start of Power BI, and this is why I call it “Yellow Excel”. Jokes aside, it was VERY Powerful, and I spent a lot of time connecting it to data in Dynamics CRM version 4 and version 2011 to make cool interactive dashboards.
If you could travel back in time to witness the creation of any Microsoft product, what would it be and why?
I’m lucky because I’ve witnessed the creation of a bunch of Microsoft products, but I would go and witness the creation of the Windows Kernel because I have met a few of the team members who were part of that, and I’d LOVE to see the shipping room chaos that must have gone down. Also, Windows Memory Manager because that’s one of the pieces of GENIUS functionality that makes Windows what it is today, and I believe it is such an iconic product (see what I did there).
What’s the strangest or funniest tech support request you’ve ever received related to a Microsoft product?
There was a person that was complaining that the keyboard wasn’t working. So, I said, OK, pick up your keyboard and walk 10 paces away from your computer. And they did. And they’re like, oh, it’s still not working. Yes dude, your keyboard isn’t plugged in! I actually read about this in a magazine (yes I know, I’m old) and did it in real life. It was glorious! Also, once my mom minimised a window and thought she deleted everything, that was an EXTREMELY delicate situation to deal with.
What’s the most exciting thing that you’re working on this year?
I think it is going to be AI related for sure. I think it’s probably got to be 2 things.
- The Agentic functionality that we will see emerging more and more within Microsoft copilot products.
- Truly understanding Responsible AI! I think this is such an important part of any AI toolset and it really interests me.
What’s the main benefit to the customer of being an MVP?
We have direct access to the product group at Microsoft, which means that we talk to the AMAZING people who are involved in building the products we use every day. We have a lot of vision into what’s happening in the world of Microsoft tech, and we also give feedback into the product creation and functionality.
The other thing is that we are deeply connected into the Microsoft communities and what that means is that we have access to all of these amazing, diverse, collaborative people who experience so many different scenarios and aspects of the tools than I do. I get to talk to them and learn from them! That’s incredible!
What advice would you give to people wanting to become an MVP?
A lot of people try and get MVP to get the badge and the recognition, and I did that in the beginning. After a little while, I realised something quickly: it’s not about having the badge. It’s actually about being part of and giving back to the community and building a community around you.
To quote the Power Addicts, “We rise by uplifting others” and this saying is SO true. The moment I stopped looking for the badge and I started really engaging the community, working with people, mentoring, being mentored, enjoying people’s company – I realised that this program is so much bigger than “Recognition”. And I love it and am grateful for this experience.
Community changed EVERYTHING for me. It’s just such a wonderful thing to be part of. I’m very proud to be part of it. When I got to the UK after living in South Africa for 30 years, I didn’t know ANYONE and because of the Microsoft communities I have built lifelong relationships with AMAZING people and been given opportunities I never dreamed of.
Aspiring MVPs, do this because you want to be part of a wider movement.
Being an MVP can be quite stressful, I imagine. What keeps you motivated to avoid fatigue and burnout?
People keep me motivated. I have an amazing crowd of people around me. I’m surrounded by the best people in the world. Hands down, there is no one better than the people in my life! They support, motivate and uplift me every day and I am SO thankful to all of them.
What improvements would you like to see in the MVP programme?
Microsoft need to work on the selection criteria. For me it’s not super clear. I think this is happening in the background and it must be hard because the community is such a diverse place.
To read more about all the Microsoft MVPs at ANS, click here.
