Lee Cowie named CEO of accesso as company pushes AI strategy
Lee Cowie, the company's chief operating officer, has been appointed CEO of accesso Technology Group, taking over from founder Steve Brown in a planned handover. The appointment comes after a year of record venue wins and expansion of the company's AI capabilities.
Cowie spent seven years at Merlin Entertainments, most recently as chief technology officer overseeing more than 125 attractions across 28 countries. He joined accesso as COO eighteen months ago and holds an MBA from Henley Business School and a degree in physics from Imperial College London.
Brown founded the accesso business in 2008 and has served as CEO, building it into the operational technology backbone for over 1,100 venues across 31 countries. The transition was planned, Brown said, and positions the company for its next phase of growth.
Three strategic priorities
Cowie has outlined three areas of focus. The first is accesso Intelligence, an AI-powered analytics and forecasting platform built on the company's acquisition of Dexibit. The second is an integrated payments strategy to simplify transaction economics for operators and visitors. The third involves integrating accesso's product suite-ticketing, queuing, point of sale, membership, and guest experience-into a connected system.
"The AI era is coming into our industry and we are ready for it," Cowie said.
Brown described the company's 25-year foundation in infrastructure and ecosystem trust. "My focus from here is on making that infrastructure more intelligent, more connected, and simpler for the operators and visitors who depend on it," he said.
Cowie's experience as a former client gives him insight into what venue operators need. His tenure at Merlin exposed him to the technology demands of large-scale attraction networks-a perspective that shapes his understanding of accesso's market.
For executives overseeing technology strategy, AI for Executives & Strategy resources can help contextualize how AI platforms like accesso Intelligence drive operational improvements. Understanding Generative AI and LLM capabilities also clarifies how analytics platforms process venue data at scale.
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