accesso Names Lee Cowie CEO as Company Pushes Deeper Into AI

accesso Technology Group has appointed Lee Cowie as Chief Executive Officer, marking a planned leadership handover as the leisure and entertainment technology provider accelerates its AI, payments, and product integration strategy.

Cowie, who joined accesso as Chief Operating Officer 18 months ago, succeeds Steve Brown, the founder of the company’s namesake accesso business and its CEO in recent years. Brown founded the accesso business in 2008 and helped grow the company into a global technology partner serving more than 1,100 venues across 31 countries.

The appointment comes as accesso sharpens its focus on intelligent venue operations, with Cowie set to lead the company’s next phase of growth across ticketing, queuing, point of sale, membership, guest experience and data intelligence.

“This transition has been carefully planned, and I’m leaving the business in very good hands,” Brown said in a press release. “Accesso has a strong foundation, a talented team and expanding data intelligence capabilities that position it well for its next phase of growth. Lee’s deep experience in this industry, his unique view as a former client, and his understanding of what operators need, makes him the right person to lead the business forward.”

Cowie brings more than 15 years of senior international technology leadership experience across leisure and hospitality. Before joining accesso, he spent seven years at Merlin Entertainments, most recently as Chief Technology Officer, where he led technology across more than 125 visitor attractions in 28 countries. He holds an MBA from Henley Business School and a BSc from Imperial College London.

His elevation to CEO signals a stronger push into AI-driven operational tools. Cowie’s priorities include the development of accesso Intelligence, the company’s AI-powered analytics and forecasting platform built on the acquisition of Dexibit; an integrated payments strategy aimed at simplifying transaction economics; and further integration across accesso’s product portfolio.

“Accesso has spent 25 years building the infrastructure and ecosystem that operators trust with the moments that matter most,” Cowie said in a statement. “My focus from here is on making that infrastructure more intelligent, more connected, and simpler for the operators and visitors who depend on it. The AI era is coming into our industry and we are ready for it.”

The company said Cowie’s strategy will focus on creating a more connected experience for operators and guests across accesso’s venue technology stack, spanning ticketing, virtual queuing, retail, memberships and guest engagement.

Find more information on accesso here.