Fusion5 helps organisations integrate Microsoft Copilot into daily workflows with a strategy-led, hands-on learning approach. Our programs include structured training sessions, prompt-engineering coaching, reusable learning resources, and leadership briefings. Fusion5 brings the practical tools needed for confident, responsible AI adoption.
Chartered Accountants Australia & New Zealand (CA ANZ) is both a professional body and a global voice for the accounting profession. They represent more than 140,000 financial professionals, supporting them to make a difference to the businesses, organisations, and communities in which they work and live. Chartered Accountants are known as Difference Makers. The depth and breadth of their expertise helps them to see the big picture and chart the best course of action.
Building on the success of CA ANZ’s 2020–25 strategy, their new strategy aims to continue to grow their impact and capability in a rapidly changing world. It positions CA ANZ to lead the profession into new frontiers like AI, sustainability, and evolving workforce needs, and supports their members through what’s next.
For CA ANZ, credibility meant not just talking about AI but showing what responsible AI adoption looks like and learning fast enough to guide their members as they navigate their own journey.
Cybersecurity Month in late 2023 saw the launch of AI in the form of Enterprise Copilot availability. It highlighted both the risks and opportunities of Generative AI. That became the impetus for CA ANZ to begin upskilling the organisation, sponsored by Kylie Fisher, Chief Information Officer at CA ANZ. Her team switched on Microsoft Copilot and Teams Premium for a pilot community. It was an intentionally organic start to gauge early adoption and use cases.
What happened next was telling. Early adopters quickly found value, but questions soon followed: How do these tools really work? What do they mean for day-to-day tasks? How do they interact with other systems? Alongside the curiosity came the familiar mix of excitement and anxiety that so often accompanies AI adoption.
It quickly became clear that if adoption was left only to the curious, the potential would stall. Unlocking value meant every employee needed the AI literacy, skills, and confidence to use it well. That required a clear strategy, dedicated capacity, and a partner who could turn scattered curiosity into a structured, repeatable program of learning that could scale across CA ANZ.
From curiosity to capability
Introducing Copilot wasn’t like switching on a new system upgrade. It required new ways of working, a tailored approach to learning, and a careful balance between opportunity and risk.
As a membership-based body, data security was an important factor for CA ANZ. Protecting member, student, and employee data meant choosing a secure but scalable AI solution for the workforce. Microsoft Copilot, with its built-in security layers and framework, gave the organisation the confidence to proceed.
The early steps were small and deliberate. Clear guidelines were published on what people could and couldn’t do, written through a cyber and data security lens. An AI Literacy Hub and a Community of Practice were set up, giving early adopters a place to experiment and share.
But it quickly became clear that AI adoption was different from introducing any other product. People needed a new way of doing everyday work with AI. This required guided, hands-on training with Copilot. The first pilot groups confirmed the appetite for deeper learning was growing faster than internal teams could support.
Collaboration with CA ANZ’s Learning and Development and Corporate Communications teams provided the elements needed to design a scalable curriculum. Cost was another key factor. As a not-for-profit, any solution needed to be affordable and backed by evidence of impact before further funding could be committed. Pilots and phased scaling gave that flexibility.
With a lean internal IT team, CA ANZ turned to Fusion5 for their expertise. Together they designed a program that added expert capacity and structure to the rollout. Fusion5’s role included:
- Practical Copilot Training: a series of 60-minute Skill Sessions covering Copilot in core tools like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, and Outlook.
- Prompting Masterclasses: monthly Skill Sessions designed to build confidence and capability in effective prompting techniques — the fuel for human–AI collaboration.
- Reusable Resources: a library of session recordings, guides, and learning materials so staff could revisit and refine their skills at a time that suited them.
- Executive Briefings: education and awareness sessions for leaders on AI strategy, application evolution, and industry trends.
This combination of real-world practice, generative AI skill development, and leadership insight ensured adoption was structured, repeatable, and scalable. The program provided a clear, disciplined pathway from early curiosity to organisation-wide capability.
Measuring impact with discipline
From the outset, CA ANZ knew the initiative needed more than anecdotes. Success had to be measured with discipline, so the team adopted Microsoft’s global survey framework. Monthly feedback was collected to track both qualitative and quantitative impact.
The surveys focused on two core questions:
- What percentage of Copilot users felt more productive?
- What percentage said the tool improved the quality of their work?
The results told a clear story. Scores spiked in the first months as curiosity and excitement drove experimentation. Over time, results dipped as the novelty wore off. But once the structured training program began, results climbed steadily and consistently, particularly in reported improvements to quality of work.
By mid-2025, more than a third of CA ANZ’s permanent employees were using full Copilot licenses in their daily work. Alongside the growing adoption, CA ANZ was also consistently exceeding Microsoft’s global benchmarks for both productivity and quality. The data highlighted two important truths: the organisation has a genuine opportunity to realise productivity gains, and individuals are motivated to build AI skills when given the right support.
The surveys also surfaced barriers. Feedback pointed to where training needed to adapt, while free-text responses offered rich insights into how AI was being applied in day-to-day work. These stories, alongside the data, gave CA ANZ the evidence to adjust, evolve, and communicate impact in real time.
Kylie Fisher reflected:
We’ve been very disciplined in our approach. We took the time to really understand our organisation, our culture, our work, and how people learn. This is much more than a training program. It’s a generational shift in how we work, and we owe it to our people to enable their success in an AI-augmented future of work.”
That internal discipline was matched by external expertise. Fusion5 provided the capacity and structure to make the program scalable, while keeping it flexible and people-focused.
By leaning in, learning, and building capability within their own organisation, CA ANZ is showing what responsible AI adoption looks like, and setting the example for how the profession can support both employees and members in the years ahead.
Exploring AI adoption in your organisation?
If you are wondering how to harness Microsoft Copilot, build AI literacy across your workforce, or adopt generative AI responsibly, you are not alone.
Success with platforms like Microsoft Copilot shows the difference the right strategy and the right partner can make. From driving AI adoption in professional services to embedding responsible AI practices, the shift is not just about technology, it is about building skills, confidence, and capability.
At Fusion5, we help organisations deliver responsible AI adoption programs, develop workforce skills, and unlock value with Microsoft Copilot and the Power Platform.
Q&A
How does Fusion5 support businesses to adopt Microsoft Copilot?
Why is structured AI training important for businesses?
Structured AI training ensures adoption moves beyond early adopters and becomes inclusive across teams. It closes the gap between curiosity and capability by building user confidence, embedding AI skills into workflows, and supporting responsible use. Fusion5 helps organisations scale AI adoption in a disciplined, consistent way.
What skills do employees learn in a Microsoft Copilot training program?
Participants learn practical AI fluency: crafting effective prompts, using Copilot effectively across tools like Word, Excel, Outlook, and Teams, and understanding foundational principles of responsible AI usage. We focus on real-world capability that transforms AI from novelty to productivity enhancer.
What measurable benefits can businesses expect from Copilot training?
Structured Copilot training drives measurable outcomes: improved productivity, enhanced quality of work, and faster adoption. Organisations working with Fusion5 consistently exceed industry benchmarks in these areas and can track real ROI through ongoing feedback surveys and usage analytics.
What is AI governance and why does it matter for businesses?
AI governance creates the safety, security, and ethical frameworks for AI use. It protects data, ensures compliance, and builds trust. Fusion5 embeds robust data and AI governance into every adoption project, ensuring that innovation is responsible, controlled, and aligned with organisational values.
