We are pleased to announce that Lee Cowie has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of accesso Technology Group, following a planned leadership transition.
Lee steps into the role after joining accesso as its COO a year and a half ago. He brings over a decade and a half years of senior international tech leadership across the leisure and hospitality sectors, including Merlin Entertainments for seven years, where he most recently served as Chief Technology Officer.
During his time at Merlin, Lee provided tech leadership across over 125 visitor attractions in 28 countries. His background gives him direct experience of the operational pressures, guest expectations and technology requirements faced by leisure, entertainment and cultural operators worldwide.
Lee succeeds Steve Brown, who, in 2008, founded the company’s namesake accesso business and led as CEO of accesso in recent years. Under Steve’s leadership, accesso has grown into a global technology partner supporting more than 1,100 venues across 31 countries, spanning attractions, ski, hospitality and live entertainment.
Building On A Strong Operational Foundation
The appointment follows a period of continued momentum for accesso, including record venue wins, growth across SaaS products and further investment in data intelligence.
Steve Brown said the handover had been carefully planned and that the business is well positioned for its next phase. He noted that accesso has a strong foundation, an experienced team and growing data intelligence capabilities. He also highlighted Lee’s industry knowledge, former client perspective, and understanding of operator needs as key strengths for the role.
For accesso, continuity is central to the transition. Our focus remains on supporting operators with technology that helps them manage high-value guest moments, from ticketing and queuing to point of sale, membership and wider guest experience.
AI, Data Intelligence And Connected Operations
Lee’s strategic priorities will focus on three core areas.
The first is the continued development of accesso IntelligenceSM, our AI-powered analytics and forecasting platform, built on the acquisition of Dexibit®. This platform is designed to help operators use data more effectively, supporting forecasting, planning and decision-making across complex venues and visitor environments.
The second priority is an integrated payments strategy. This work is intended to simplify transaction economics for both operators and visitors, supporting smoother commercial operations across accesso’s product ecosystem.
The third priority is deeper integration across accesso’s product estate. By connecting ticketing, queuing, point of sale, membership and guest experience tools more closely, we aim to give operators a simpler, more unified technology environment.
Supporting The Next Phase Of Industry Change
Lee said accesso has spent 25 years building infrastructure trusted by operators during the moments that matter most. His focus as CEO will be on making that infrastructure more intelligent, more connected and easier to use for the venues and visitors that rely on it.
The visitor experience sector is entering a period in which AI, data and operational connectivity will play a greater role in daily decision-making. Attractions, cultural venues, ski resorts, live entertainment operators and hospitality businesses are all looking for systems that can reduce complexity while improving commercial performance and guest service.
For accesso, this leadership transition marks a clear step into that next phase. With Lee Cowie as CEO, we will continue to invest in intelligent, connected and operator-focused technology that supports venues as they adapt to changing guest behaviour, business pressures and new opportunities across the global experience economy.
