Accesso Technology Group has appointed Lee Cowie as its new Chief Executive Officer, a planned leadership handover that signals the leisure and entertainment technology provider's deepening push into AI, payments, and product integration. Cowie, who joined as Chief Operating Officer 18 months ago, succeeds Steve Brown, the founder of the namesake accesso business, which now serves more than 1,100 venues across 31 countries.
Brown founded the accesso business in 2008 and grew it into a global partner for ticketing, queuing, point of sale, memberships, and guest experience. "This transition has been carefully planned, and I'm leaving the business in very good hands," Brown said. "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."
Planned succession with an AI mandate
Cowie brings more than 15 years of senior international technology leadership experience, including seven years as Chief Technology Officer at Merlin Entertainments, where he oversaw technology across 125 visitor attractions in 28 countries. His elevation to CEO is part of a deliberate strategy to push further into AI-driven operational tools. The company's focus on AI for Executives & Strategy is evident in the development of accesso Intelligence, its AI-powered analytics and forecasting platform built on the acquisition of Dexibit.
An integrated payments strategy and deeper product integration across accesso's venue technology stack are also on the agenda. The AI for Hospitality & Events push aims to create a more connected experience for operators and guests, spanning ticketing, virtual queuing, retail, memberships, and guest engagement.
Cowie's vision
"Accesso has spent 25 years building the infrastructure and ecosystem that operators trust with the moments that matter most," Cowie said. "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."
Why this matters for Executives and Strategy
The planned CEO change and explicit AI emphasis show that even established, industry-specific tech firms are consolidating around AI and analytics to offer more unified platforms. For executives, this signals that AI integration is moving from experimental to a core operational investment. The decision to build on acquisitions like Dexibit and align payments, ticketing, and guest data under a single intelligence layer creates a competitive benchmark that other leisure technology providers will now need to match.
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