From Pilot to Practice: Eric Newell on Rolling Out M365 Copilot for a Secure, Productive AI Strategy

Move Beyond AI Experiments: What Executives Will Learn from Eric Newell at AI Agent & Copilot Summit NA 2026

On the AI Agent & Copilot Podcast, Eric Newell, CEO of Stoneridge Software, breaks down a practical path for leaders who want results from AI-without guesswork. His session at the AI Agent & Copilot Summit NA 2026 sits inside the M365 & Work IQ masterclass, "Executive's Guide to Rolling Out M365 Copilot." The focus: move beyond pilots and proofs of concept to a secure, productive AI strategy that compounds.

As Newell puts it, "AI is incredibly powerful. But you need to just make sure that you're set up to take advantage of it, and then you build some organizational capacity to do it." That's the job for executives: set intent, set guardrails, and remove friction so teams can execute.

Why this matters for executives

• AI value accrues to companies that connect strategy, data, security, and enablement-not to those running disconnected experiments.
• M365 Copilot speeds day-to-day work across email, documents, meetings, and analysis. The upside is real; the risks and waste are, too, if you skip governance and change management.
• Your advantage comes from capacity: the people, processes, and policies that make AI dependable across the business.

Inside the session: Executive's Guide to Rolling Out M365 Copilot

• Strategy and guardrails: Define business outcomes, risk tolerance, and decision rights. Clarify where Copilot helps now vs. later.
• Data foundations: Map data sources, permissions, and sensitivity labels. Minimize oversharing; maximize findability.
• Security and compliance: Align with Microsoft Purview, DLP, and conditional access before broad rollout.
• Use case portfolio: Start with high-frequency, high-friction workflows (email triage, meeting notes, document drafting, analysis summaries).
• Change management: Create role-based enablement, internal champions, and leadership modeling. Communicate "what good looks like."
• Measurement: Track adoption, time saved, quality improvements, and risk incidents. Tie results to business KPIs.
• Scale plan: Move from pilot to enterprise-wide rollout with a repeatable playbook, budget, and cadence.

Executive briefings: what leaders will take away

• Clear language for explaining AI and LLMs to boards and peers-without hype.
• A view of Microsoft's AI stack for productivity, where Copilot fits, and how it changes work patterns.
• Patterns for high-ROI adoption across sales, finance, operations, and HR.
• A decision framework: licensing, governance, data readiness, and training investment.

A 90-day rollout playbook (starter version)

• Weeks 1-2: Set strategy and scope. Name an executive sponsor. Stand up an AI governance group. Confirm risk, privacy, and compliance posture.
• Weeks 3-4: Data and access audit. Apply sensitivity labels. Validate Purview policies. Define pilot success metrics.
• Weeks 5-6: Select 2-3 departments. Train champions. Launch role-based enablement. Document before/after workflows.
• Weeks 7-8: Run controlled pilot. Capture time saved, output quality, and user feedback. Address permission leaks or hallucination risks.
• Weeks 9-10: Iterate prompts, templates, and SOPs. Lock in "golden paths" for common tasks.
• Weeks 11-12: Executive review. Approve scale-up plan, budget, and timeline. Publish adoption scorecards and ongoing governance cadence.

Questions to bring to the session

• Where have enterprises seen measurable ROI with M365 Copilot in 60-90 days?
• What governance mistakes create the most rework-and how do we avoid them?
• How should we budget for licenses, training, and ongoing data cleanup?
• What metrics should go to the board vs. department leaders?

Event details

AI Agent & Copilot Summit is an AI-first event built to define opportunities, impact, and outcomes with Microsoft Copilot and agents. Building on its 2025 success, the 2026 event runs March 17-19 in San Diego. Expect executive-level guidance, practical frameworks, and space to pressure-test your roadmap.

If you want a primer on how Copilot fits inside Microsoft 365, see Microsoft's overview here: Copilot for Microsoft 365. For leadership-focused strategy content, explore AI for Executives & Strategy.

Final note

Eric Newell is ready to get tactical. Bring questions tied to your use cases, constraints, and timelines-and expect straight answers you can put to work.