For more than a decade, Amy Dolzine has been at the forefront of digital transformation, helping global organisations adopt technologies that reshape how we work. As a long-standing Microsoft MVP and a leader in technology adoption and change enablement, she’s taken on one of her most ambitious challenges yet — guiding EY’s rollout of Microsoft Copilot across the Americas, a programme touching more than 150,000 people.
In her current role, Amy isn’t just overseeing technology deployment; she’s helping thousands of professionals learn how to work with AI rather than around it. Her experience, forged over years of driving collaboration through platforms like Yammer, SharePoint and Viva Engage, has taught her that successful adoption isn’t about tools — it’s about people, culture and clarity.
As she tells Original Thinkers, the real transformation Copilot brings isn’t simply productivity — it’s how it’s teaching us to be better communicators and, ultimately, better managers. “Copilot forces you to be clear about what you want,” she says. “The more explicit you are, the better the results you’ll get. That skill translates directly into how you lead and collaborate with real people.”
In this conversation, Amy shares what she’s learned from EY’s Copilot journey — from starting small and engaging legal and risk teams early, to nurturing communities of champions who drive change from within. Her insights offer practical lessons for Microsoft Partners looking to guide their own customers through AI transformation — starting not with the technology, but with the human behaviours that make it thrive.
Juliet Stott: You’ve helped EY roll out Copilot across the Americas. What has that involved, and what makes your role unique?
Amy Dolzine: My role is quite unusual because I’m effectively EY’s technology consultant for EY. The firm hired EY to roll out Copilot internally and I lead that for the Americas. So, while I’m helping our own people adopt it, I’m also talking to clients all the time about what we’re learning. They want to know what’s worked, what hasn’t, and how they can avoid the mistakes we made. In a way, we’re our own best case study.
Juliet: You’ve said that using Copilot can actually make us better managers. What do you mean by that?
Amy: To get good results from Copilot, you have to be specific and intentional in how you communicate. You can’t just say, “Recap this meeting.” You have to say, “Recap this meeting in this format, include the decisions made, who attended, the action items and key questions.” The clearer you are, the better the outcome.
That same principle applies to people management. If you’ve learnt to be explicit and structured in your prompts, you’ll naturally become clearer when you delegate or brief your team. So yes, Copilot helps you practise being a better communicator — and that makes you a better leader.
At EY, we’ve long had a mantra: “Ask a better question.” That’s exactly what using Copilot is about — learning to ask your question in a better way to get the result you’re looking for. It’s not just a technical skill; it’s a communication skill.
Juliet: Many organisations are just beginning their Copilot journey. Where should they start?
Amy: Start small. Don’t try to “boil the ocean”. Pick a small group of people who are curious and willing to experiment, and give them the time and space to learn together. Meet regularly, share what’s working and what isn’t, and treat it like a community of practice. Or as I like to say — start with the puddles before you try to boil the ocean.
And — this is crucial — bring your risk and legal teams along from day one. Don’t leave them out because you think they’ll slow things down. You need their questions and their expertise to make sure you’re using the technology safely and responsibly. If you leave them behind, you’ll only end up delaying the rollout later when they raise valid concerns.
Juliet: What about choosing who gets access first? Some firms start with executives — is that wise?
Amy: Not necessarily. Executives are important sponsors, but they’re not always the best early users because they often work in silos. I recommend giving it to an entire team or department that already collaborates closely. That way, people learn from each other — and adoption spreads organically.
Avoid creating “haves and have-nots” by giving a few licences to each team. If some people have the tool and others don’t, it creates resentment and fear — people worry they’ll be seen as cheating or feel like they’re missing out. It’s better to roll it out to a complete working group so everyone can explore it together.
Juliet: How did EY scale from that small pilot to the wider organisation?
Amy: We began with about 50 people for a couple of months, then expanded to 500, then 1,000, then 10,000. Today, more than 150,000 EY people are part of our Viva Engage community for Copilot users — a space where we share updates, FAQs and success stories.
Community is absolutely central to adoption. My friend Laurie Pottmeyer, who you’ve also spoken with, taught me so much about that during our early Yammer and Viva Engage days. It’s about creating a safe, visible space where people can share what they’re learning, ask questions and help each other out. The real champions always bubble up naturally — they’re the ones answering questions, sharing tips and keeping others motivated. Building that kind of internal network is just as important as rolling out the technology itself.
Juliet: What are some of those ‘aha’ moments when people realise the value of Copilot?
Amy: The reactions are amazing. For example, when someone using Excel realises Copilot can instantly clean up a messy dataset — thousands of rows — they’re stunned. Or in Teams meetings, when people see they can ask Copilot to summarise what they missed if they joined late or list the action items discussed — that’s when it clicks. Those small, tangible wins create real momentum.
One of my favourite moments was when someone asked, “Can I use ChatGPT to teach me Copilot?” I told them, “You can use Copilot to teach you Copilot.” It’s very meta, but it shows how people are learning by doing — and that’s exactly the mindset that drives adoption.
Juliet: You’ve worked in tech adoption for a long time. How do you see Copilot changing how people create content or communicate at work?
Amy: I always say Copilot is a very helpful teammate — but it just wants to make you happy. It’ll tell you “great idea” before it tells you what’s wrong with your draft. So, you need to know how to push it — how to ask for critique or tell it to be more direct.
That’s where experience still matters. You can’t shortcut knowing your stuff. I tell executives this all the time: younger team members might know how to use ChatGPT, but they don’t yet have the business experience to know whether what it’s giving them actually fits your needs. That’s why critical thinking and human judgement are still so important.
For content creators especially, AI can help you get over the blank page, but it won’t replace the strategy, structure or storytelling. It can’t replicate the creative craft or the client context — those still come from you.
Juliet: Some people wonder why they need a Copilot licence when ChatGPT is freely available. What’s your take?
Amy: It’s a fair question — but Copilot is built for work. It already knows your emails, your Teams chats, your calendar, and your documents. It understands context — who you work with, what you’re working on, what’s next on your schedule. ChatGPT doesn’t.
And, importantly, Copilot sits within your organisation’s secure environment. You’re not exposing sensitive data by pasting it into a public model. It’s the same underlying technology, but Copilot is fine-tuned for business use — concise, secure, and designed to fit into your working day.
Juliet: Finally, what’s the one piece of advice you’d give to Microsoft partners helping clients roll out Copilot?
Amy: Focus on the people, not the product. This is less about technology and more about behaviour change. Build communities, share stories, celebrate the small wins — and help people see Copilot as a teammate, not a threat.
At the end of the day, Copilot is like an extra co-worker — another set of hands you can trust. It helps you be more present, more human, and show up at work the way you actually want to. That’s when transformation really happens.
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