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What happens when AI starts finding information nobody realised still existed?

In this episode of Information Matters with AI, Jacqueline Stockwell sits down with Microsoft Purview expert and information governance specialist Kunal Kankariya to explore why records management has suddenly become one of the most important conversations in AI readiness.

While organisations rush to deploy Microsoft Copilot and AI assistants, many are discovering that AI can only be as trustworthy as the information it can access.

Outdated policies, duplicate documents, abandoned SharePoint sites, poor ownership and unmanaged retention can all undermine AI outcomes. The result? Confident answers based on unreliable information.

Jacqueline and Kunal discuss the hidden relationship between AI, records management and governance, why organisations struggle with defensible disposal, how Microsoft Purview supports retention and disposition, and what happens when AI Agents begin making decisions and taking actions on behalf of humans.

If you're responsible for information, records, governance, compliance, Microsoft 365 or AI readiness, this conversation will change the way you think about AI implementation.

🎧 Because AI doesn't create information chaos. It simply exposes the chaos that already exists.

In This Episode

Jacqueline Stockwell and Kunal Kankariya discuss:

• Why records management has become a critical AI readiness issue
• The risk of AI using outdated or unmanaged content
• Real-world Microsoft Copilot governance challenges
• The role of retention, disposition and defensible deletion
• Common Microsoft 365 governance gaps
• Why ownership matters in SharePoint and Teams
• AI prompts, responses and whether they should be treated as records
• The future impact of AI Agents on records management
• How organisations can build trust in AI through better information governance

Key Quotes

Resources Mentioned

🔹 Microsoft Purview

🔹 Microsoft Copilot

🔹 Expire IQ ExpireIQ | Microsoft 365 Content Lifecycle Governance and Disposition | Paras InfoGov

🔹 SharePoint

🔹 Microsoft 365 Governance

🔹 Information Governance Best Practice

🔹 Defensible Disposal and Retention Management

Connect With Our Guest

Kunal Kankariya

Founder, Paras InfoGov

Helping organisations improve information governance, Microsoft 365 governance and records management through Microsoft Purview and Expire IQ.

Connect with Kunal on LinkedIn: (6) Kunal Kankariya | LinkedIn

Connect With Jacqueline 

Jacqueline Stockwell

CEO & Founder, Leadership Through Data

🎙️ Host of Information Matters with AI

📚 Bestselling Author of Blooming Good Information Management

🌍 Global Speaker | Information Leadership Advocate | AI Readiness Specialist

Connect:(3) Jacqueline Stockwell ARIM, BA Hons, MSC | LinkedIn

Learn more: www.leadershipthroughdata.com

Ready for AI?

If AI has landed on your desk and you're being asked to have all the answers by next quarter (or tomorrow), explore the EMPOWER AI Readiness Accelerator.

Designed for records managers, information managers and governance professionals who want practical weekly actions, trusted guidance and a recognised certification pathway to lead AI transformation with confidence.

👉 Learn more: The EMPOWER Programme | Leadership Through Data

#AIReadiness #RecordsManagement #InformationGovernance #MicrosoftPurview #Copilot #ArtificialIntelligence #InformationManagement #LeadershipThroughData #InformationMattersWithAI #DigitalTransformation

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Defensible Deletion in the Age of AI: What Should We Keep and What Can We Let Go?

AI is changing the way organisations think about information.

For years, many organisations have adopted a "keep everything just in case" approach because storage was cheap and deletion felt risky. But in the age of AI, keeping everything may create more risk, not less.

In this episode, Jacqueline Stockwell is joined by Andrea McIntosh to explore the concept of defensible deletion and why it has become a critical part of AI readiness.

Together they discuss:

• What defensible deletion actually means
• Why deletion is a governance process, not a clean-up exercise
• How AI changes the value and risk of stored information
• The dangers of ROT (Redundant, Obsolete and Trivial information)
• How legal, privacy, records management, IT and the business should work together
• The role of e-discovery and legal holds
• How organisations can balance deleting too much with keeping too much
• Six practical steps for starting a defensible deletion programme

Key Takeaways

✅ Defensible deletion is about making authorised, consistent and evidenced decisions.

✅ AI performs best when it has access to trusted, relevant and well-governed information.

✅ Keeping information simply because storage is cheap can increase privacy, legal and operational risks.

✅ Good information lifecycle management supports both AI readiness and e-discovery.

✅ Organisations should focus on understanding why information exists and whether there is still a legitimate reason to keep it.

Memorable Quote

This Week's Challenge

Choose one information area in your organisation and ask:

Why are we keeping this?

If you have a clear answer, great.

If nobody knows, you've just identified an important governance opportunity.

About the Podcast

Information Matters with AI explores the intersection of artificial intelligence, information governance, records management, leadership and digital transformation.

Hosted by Jacqueline Stockwell, CEO of Leadership Through Data, each episode tackles the opportunities, risks and practical realities organisations face as they navigate AI adoption.

🎧 Subscribe for weekly conversations on AI readiness, governance, Microsoft 365, Copilot, compliance and leadership.

Assess Your AI Readiness

Wondering whether your organisation is truly ready for AI?

The EMPOWER AI Readiness Scorecard helps organisations understand their current level of AI readiness across governance, information management, leadership, culture, data quality, security, and compliance.

Complete the assessment to receive a personalised report, practical recommendations, and insights to support a safer and more effective AI adoption journey.

👉 Complete the EMPOWER AI Readiness Scorecard: The Leadership Through Data EMPOWER Scorecard

Continue the Conversation

For more practical insights on AI readiness, information governance, Microsoft 365, records management, leadership, and digital transformation, connect with Jacqueline Stockwell on LinkedIn.

Jacqueline hosts regular LinkedIn Live sessions featuring expert guests, real-world discussions, and practical advice for information and AI leaders navigating the opportunities and challenges of AI adoption.

👉 Follow Jacqueline on LinkedIn: (1) Jacqueline Stockwell ARIM, BA Hons, MSC | LinkedIn

#InformationMattersWithAI #LeadershipThroughData #AIReadiness #InformationGovernance #DefensibleDeletion

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Is Microsoft Copilot ruining your data security, or did it just find the messy cupboard you’ve been ignoring for years?

In this episode, host Jacqueline Stockwell is joined by Andrea McIntosh, General Manager for Global Operations at Leadership Through Data. With over 25 years of experience across IT and Information Management, Andrea breaks down why AI isn’t creating new permission problems—it’s simply making existing oversharing visible. 

Together, Jaki and Andrea explore the fine line between tech access and genuine information ownership, how privacy, eDiscovery, and records management intersect, and why fear-based messaging is ruining your governance strategy. 

In this episode, we cover:

• The "Messy Cupboard" Effect: Why Copilot changes our relationship with information and surfaces hidden SharePoint risks. 
• The Anatomy of Overshare: How ordinary, everyday decisions create massive long-term exposure. 
• Practical Access Reviews: Why you shouldn't start a massive org-wide permissions audit, and where to focus first. 
• One Actionable Takeaway: A simple, low-stress exercise you can run in your organization this week. 
• Rapid Fire: Deleting data, banning buzzwords, and why we can't blame everything on "Poor Bob." 

Stop panicking about AI and start using it as an enabler for better information governance. Tune in now!

AI only works when your information works. 

Assess your organisation across the seven EMPOWER pillars.  Take the EMPOWER AI Readiness Scorecard now The Leadership Through Data EMPOWER Scorecard

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Is Microsoft Purview really a compliance tool, or is it the missing piece in your AI readiness strategy?

In this episode of Information Matters with AI, Jacqueline Stockwell is joined by Microsoft Purview specialist Kunal Kankariya to break down one of the most misunderstood platforms in Microsoft 365.

Many organisations invest in licences, deploy a few labels, and assume they are ready for AI and Microsoft Copilot. The reality is very different.

Jacqueline and Kunal explore how organisations can use Microsoft Purview to understand, govern, and protect information without becoming overwhelmed by technology, compliance jargon, or unnecessary complexity.

You'll discover:

✅ Why Purview is much more than a compliance tool
 ✅ The biggest myths that hold organisations back
 ✅ Why governance must come before technology
 ✅ How Microsoft Copilot changes the information risk conversation
 ✅ The common mistakes organisations make when deploying Purview
 ✅ Why buying licences does not automatically create AI readiness
 ✅ How to prioritise Purview capabilities based on business outcomes

Whether you're an executive leader, information manager, records professional, governance specialist, or IT decision-maker, this episode provides practical guidance for turning information chaos into business confidence.

Connect with Our Guest

Kunal Kankariya

Microsoft Purview & Microsoft 365 Specialist

🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kunalkankariya/

Connect with Jacqueline Stockwell

🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacquelinestockwell/

🌐 Leadership Through Data: https://www.leadershipthroughdata.com

📘 Author of Blooming Good Information Management Blooming Good Information Management: How to Empower Yourself and Your Workforce eBook : Stockwell, Jacqueline: Amazon.co.uk: Books

Book an AI Readiness Discovery Call Contact Us | Information Management & Governance Experts

AI EMPOWER Accelerator scorecard The Leadership Through Data EMPOWER Scorecard

If you're wondering whether your organisation is truly ready for Microsoft Copilot and AI adoption, book a discovery call with the Leadership Through Data team.

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Copilot isn’t “making your organization look bad” by accident. It’s doing something far more uncomfortable: showing you, in seconds, what your information management has been hiding for years. When Microsoft Copilot gives a confident but wrong answer, the root cause is often sitting in plain sight, like duplicate policies, stale documents, unclear ownership, or content that never should have been kept in the first place.

We talk through a real case where a chatbot pulled the wrong bereavement policy because two versions existed, then connect that lesson directly to Copilot in Microsoft 365. From there, we get practical about why permissions become a bigger problem with AI. Copilot can only access what you can access, but unlike you, it never gets tired, never stops searching, and can surface “hidden access” you forgot you had. Overshared SharePoint sites, anonymous links, and weak sensitivity labels suddenly move from background noise to board-level risk.

Then we lay out a clear Copilot readiness approach you can actually run: knowledge testing with known-answer questions, regression testing to see whether answers stay correct as information changes, and edge case testing where the right result is “I can’t find that.” We also cover what to measure for leadership and the board, using exposure, readiness, and value rather than vanity metrics. If you want Copilot to be useful, safe, and trustworthy, the work starts with data quality, governance, retention, and permissions.

Subscribe for more practical AI governance and information management guidance, share this with the person leading your Copilot rollout, and leave a review if it helped. What’s the one question you’d use to test whether Copilot is truly ready in your organization?

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In this episode of Information Matters with AI, hosted by Jacqueline Stockwell, CEO and Founder of Leadership Through Data, international bestselling author of Blooming Good Information Management, and award-winning information management and AI readiness specialist, Jacqueline is joined by John Woolley, Founder of Wolf Not Sheep, transformational leader, and change specialist.

Together they explore what it really takes to lead change in an increasingly AI-driven world, why influence matters more than authority, and how leaders can create pull rather than push when driving organisational transformation. 

In this episode, Jacqueline and John discuss:

✅ Why influence is one of the most important leadership skills in modern organisations
 ✅ How to gain buy-in for information management, governance, and AI initiatives
 ✅ Why relationships and trust underpin successful change programmes
 ✅ The biggest mistakes organisations make when introducing change
 ✅ How to communicate value propositions that people actually care about
 ✅ Why leaders need a healthy level of scepticism when adopting AI
 ✅ The importance of focusing on business problems before selecting technology
 ✅ Why "The future belongs to people who dream" 

Whether you're working in information management, records management, governance, compliance, Microsoft 365, digital transformation, AI adoption, or leadership, this episode offers practical advice for influencing others, creating momentum, and delivering meaningful business change. 

Information Matters with AI is the podcast where leaders, innovators, and industry experts explore the intersection of information, governance, technology, leadership, and artificial intelligence.

🎧 Listen now and discover why being a wolf, rather than following the herd, may be the key to leading successful change. 

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In this episode of Information Matters with AI, host Jacqueline Stockwell is joined in the studio by Sharon and Gemma for Part 2 of a discussion on the realities of bringing artificial intelligence into the workplace. While AI enthusiasm is at an all-time high—shifting rapidly from Large Language Models (LLMs) to task-driven AI agents—many organizations are discovering that AI acts as "search on steroids," exposing underlying issues in unmanaged data. 

Jacqueline, Sharon, and Gemma break down:

• The "Garbage In, Gospel Out" Phenomenon: Why users blindly trust flawed AI outputs based on messy, out-of-date, or duplicate data. 
• Risks of Unmanaged Data: How deploying AI over poorly governed data leads to oversharing, compliance breaches, and reputational damage. 
• Information Governance as an Enabler: Why IG isn't a blocker, but the critical foundation that underpins AI security, quality, and compliance. 
• The Human Element & Change Management: Winning over hearts and minds by making data management relatable (including a genius kitchen drawer metaphor for records management!). 

Note: This is Part 2 of a 2-part conversation

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"Everybody wants AI, but nobody wants records management." It is a phrase heard constantly across the industry—so why are organizations still treating information management like an afterthought? 

In this episode of Information Matters with AI, host Jacqueline Stockwell is joined in the studio by Information Governance Manager & DPO Sharon Locke and Information Governance Officer Gemma. Together, they peel back the layers on why Information Governance (IG) remains one of the most misunderstood functions in the corporate world, how data growth is stretching organizations to their limits, and why getting senior leadership buy-in is critical. 

Jacqueline, Sharon, and Gemma explore:

• The Journeys into IG: From accidental career paths to discovering a passion for "doing the right thing" and fostering new talent. 
• The Visibility Problem: Why IG operates silently in the background—and why viewing it as merely "document filing" or "an IT problem" holds organizations back. 
• Data Growth & Silo Culture: The hidden risks of unmanaged data, department silos, and using GDPR as an excuse to lock down information. 
• The True Cost of Unmanaged Information: Security vulnerabilities, lost productivity, non-compliance, and the high financial toll of storing data you don't even know you have. 
• What Good Looks Like: Defining effective information management as having the right information, in the right place, at the right time. 

Note: This is Part 1 of a 2-part conversation. Tune in next week for Part 2, where the team dives headfirst into the AI discussion!

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What happens when you stop trying to lead like everyone else and start leading as yourself?

In this episode of Information Matters with AI, Jacqueline Stockwell sits down with leadership and communication expert Renee Walker to explore authenticity, self-awareness, DISC personality profiles, and why understanding yourself is one of the most important leadership skills you can develop. During the conversation, they discuss authenticity, being yourself, communication styles and DISC profiles. 

From understanding how different personality styles influence workplace relationships to building confidence in your own leadership approach, this episode is packed with practical insights for leaders at every level.

In This Episode We Discuss

• Authentic leadership and why it matters
• Understanding DISC personality styles
• Communicating effectively with different personalities
• Building confidence through self-awareness
• Creating stronger workplace relationships
• Leading without trying to be somebody else
• The importance of trust and authenticity in leadership

Key Takeaways

✅ Great leaders understand themselves first

✅ Authenticity creates trust and credibility

✅ Different communication styles require different approaches

✅ Self-awareness improves leadership effectiveness

✅ Understanding others helps build stronger teams

✅ Leadership is about being the best version of yourself, not copying someone else

About Renee Walker

Renee Walker is passionate about helping individuals and organisations improve communication, strengthen leadership capability and better understand behavioural styles through tools such as DISC. Her practical and engaging approach helps leaders create stronger relationships, improve collaboration and increase workplace performance.

Resources Mentioned

• DISC Personality Profiles
• Leadership Through Data EMPOWER Programme
• Information Matters with AI Podcast
• Leadership Through Data Training and Consultancy Programmes

Connect with Renee Walker

Add Renee's preferred website and LinkedIn profile links here before publishing.

Connect with Jacqueline Stockwell

🌐 Website: https://leadershipthroughdata.com

📚 Book: Blooming Good Information Management

🎓 EMPOWER AI Readiness Accelerator

🎙️ Podcast: Information Matters with AI

🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacquelinestockwell/

Enjoyed the Episode?

If you found this episode valuable:

⭐ Follow the podcast

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⭐ Visit www.LeadershipThroughData.com for more resources on leadership, information management and AI readiness

Because great AI starts with great information, and great leadership starts with knowing yourself. 🚀

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Everyone is talking about AI, but why are so many organisations still struggling to see real business value?

In this episode of Information Matters, Jacqueline Stockwell sits down with Thaija Dickerson, Co-Founder of Contract IQ, data scientist, and author of 10X Contract Value, to explore the missing link between data, governance, contracts, and business outcomes. 

Together they challenge the idea that more data automatically leads to better decisions and discuss why organisations need decision-ready intelligence, not just dashboards and reports. They explore how contracts can become critical business assets, why governance should be seen as the Department of How rather than the Department of No, and how leaders can bridge the gap between AI insights and real-world action. 

Jacqueline and Thaija discuss:

• Why contracts should be treated as Tier 1 business data 
• The biggest reason AI projects fail to deliver measurable value
• How organisations can move from information overload to decision intelligence
• The role of governance in accelerating AI adoption safely and effectively 
• Why ownership, accountability and authority matter more than technology alone 
• How information leaders can influence business outcomes and demonstrate value 

One of Jacqueline's favourite moments from the discussion centres around the phrase:

"Garbage in, Gospel out."

As organisations increasingly rely on AI-generated outputs, the quality, governance and trustworthiness of information has never been more important. 

If you're an information manager, records manager, governance professional, privacy specialist, data leader, or executive exploring how to turn AI ambition into measurable business results, this episode is packed with practical insights.

Connect with Thaija Dickerson

🌐 Kontrak IQ: https://www.kontrakiq.io

 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thaidickerson

 🎙️ 10X Contract Value Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/0ZWpqLxDQ6wueK0937JLzA

 📚 10X Contract Value Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/10x-contract-value-731843510135938252

About Information Matters with Jacqueline Stockwell

Information Matters is the podcast for information leaders, governance professionals, records managers, privacy experts and data specialists who want to increase their influence, demonstrate value and lead confidently in the age of AI. Hosted by international bestselling author and CEO Jacqueline Stockwell.

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