Observed Signal · May 4, 2026 · Leadership Appointment · Source: https://martechseries.com/feed/ · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Positive
Lee Cowie named accesso CEO as AI strategy accelerates
accesso Technology Group announced on 2026-05-04 that Lee Cowie has been appointed Chief Executive Officer following a planned leadership transition. Cowie joined accesso as Chief Operating Officer 18 months earlier and brings over 15 years of senior technology leadership in leisure and hospitality, including seven years as Chief Technology Officer at Merlin Entertainments. He succeeds founder and outgoing CEO Steve Brown, who built accesso into the operational technology backbone for more than 1,100 venues across 31 countries. Cowie said his priorities are advancing accesso Intelligence SM — an AI-powered analytics and forecasting platform built on the acquisition of Dexibit® — implementing an integrated payments strategy and integrating the company’s product estate (ticketing, queuing, POS, membership and guest experience).
Vendor leadership change signaling an accelerated AI and product-integration strategy; relevant to operators and vendors in leisure/MarTech but not industry-shifting.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- accesso Technology Group appointed Lee Cowie Chief Executive Officer (effective announcement date: 2026-05-04).
- Lee Cowie served as accesso Chief Operating Officer for 18 months and previously spent seven years as Chief Technology Officer at Merlin Entertainments.
- Steve Brown, founder and outgoing CEO, established accesso’s namesake business in 2008 and led it to serve more than 1,100 venues across 31 countries.
- accesso’s strategic priorities include developing accesso Intelligence SM (an AI-powered analytics and forecasting platform built on the acquisition of Dexibit®), an integrated payments strategy, and cross-product integration across ticketing, queuing, point of sale, membership and guest experience.
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