HELLENiQ ENERGY boosts productivity 70% and scales AI adoption with Microsoft 365 Copilot

HELLENiQ ENERGY operates across the entire energy value chain with a strategy centered on low-carbon solutions. For more than five decades, it has powered progress and innovation in Greece and Southeast Europe, investing in technologies such as photovoltaics, wind parks, CO2 capture, and green hydrogen, while continually embracing new technologies to shape a more sustainable future. 

Sparking AI interest through experimentation

HELLENiQ ENERGY’s commitment to innovation was fueled with the advent of generative Artificial Intelligence. “We are very interested in what AI has to offer and signed up for early access to Microsoft 365 Copilot as soon as it became available,” recalls George Konstantelos, Group Digital Transformation Director at HELLENiQ ENERGY. In the beginning, the company explored the technology limits, cultural impact, and business value potential via experimental pilots. “We started with a smaller audience” adds Konstantelos. “Our early findings defined our adoption strategy and shaped our next steps”

This early experimentation helped HELLENiQ ENERGY unlock the full potential of Copilot. The solution evolved daily with new features, composite scenarios and role-based guidance as the community got more familiar with the tool’s capabilities. “While most digital tools are purpose-built, Microsoft 365 Copilot is a flexible toolbox: it’s up to the user what they do with it,” shares Konstantelos. Yet, that flexibility posed a challenge: scaling everyday AI across the organization. 

A new way to work

To scale responsibly, HELLENiQ ENERGY shifted from experimentation to structured enablement. With PwC serving as a technology partner leveraging its adoption framework, HELLENiQ ENERGY successfully rolled out Microsoft 365 Copilot across the organization. The company launched a community of Digital Stars, about 600 employees from across the company and its subsidiaries. Their mission was to explore how AI could enhance their work in practical, measurable ways.

The initiative unfolded in phases. At first, Digital Stars teams received a broad introduction to Copilot’s capabilities. Sessions progressed into deeper topics, such as how to interact effectively with the tool, manage content inside the Microsoft 365 ecosystem, and how to structure refined, composite prompts. “Everybody was eager to get access to AI, so there was a lot of engagement from the start” shares Tasos Krapis, Head of Intelligent Automation Chapter. “Adoption was also smooth because Copilot integrates into the existing Microsoft 365 ecosystem, and it’s woven into apps people already use daily”

Users then applied what they had learned about Copilot to their daily tasks. The company gathered over 70 use cases where they could incorporate AI into productive workflows, inspired by business priorities and employee suggestions.

Shifting from trying to doing

Copilot soon became part of daily productivity routines, and HELLENiQ ENERGY’s employees saw tangible improvements. Tasks like briefing on busy calendars, summarizing meeting series, drafting important emails and formatting complex documents became more efficient. Leadership leveraged Copilot to distil and triage inputs and departmental use cases were developed, allowing different business functions to speed up their information processing and efficiently share concepts with perfect presentations.

“Approximately 70% of our Microsoft 365 Copilot users reported increased productivity,” highlights Konstantelos. “Tasks like identifying, processing and sharing the right information are completed 29% faster. Users caught up on missed meetings nearly four times faster and reduced email handling time by 64%.”

Efficiency gains are great, but the real impact was unlocking employees’ capabilities. “We have people doing things that they previously thought they couldn’t. With Copilot as a guide, our people have ventured out and built new skills," Konstantelos remarks. “They feel empowered to experiment.”

Expanding with departmental AI Agents

As employees gained confidence, HELLENiQ ENERGY began exploring AI use cases submitted by the participants. “Our Digital Stars community is becoming more skilled and ambitious—questions are getting more advanced, and use cases more complex,” shares Krapis. “This is a good sign, people start asking for departmental AI Agents.”

HELLENiQ ENERGY launched its first AI agent with the Human Resources (HR) function. “That’s important because HR handles a lot of information and is a team that everybody interacts with,” Krapis explains. Together with technology partner PwC, the company created HRaklis on Microsoft Copilot Studio. HRaklis is an AI agent designed to help employees navigate internal content like policies and documentation stored in the corporate Microsoft 365 environment. Employees ask questions in natural language, the AI Agent interprets their query and provides the best answer from the company’s knowledge base. “Our people have access to multi-domain intelligence in a secure perimeter and an AI-powered digital workplace via Microsoft 365 Copilot and purpose-built Agents,” adds Konstantelos.

Shifting focus from technology to mindset

Beyond building AI Agents, HELLENiQ ENERGY wants to focus on developing how people think about and interact with new technology. “We are moving from system embedded capabilities to an AI infused workforce,” explains Konstantelos. The goal is to empower each employee to partner with Artificial Intelligence in its various forms and nurture new ways of thinking. “It’s up to each person to decide how they’re going to interact with these intelligent tools. We teach them what AI can and can’t do, and how to incorporate it into their daily working routines. We’re working on improving the mindset, not the technology,” Konstantelos concludes. “This is how we foster innovation and sustainable change with fundamental AI adoption.”