PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Leisure DB appoints Rich Watts as Chief Digital Officer to lead the company's next chapter
Senior digital leader joins the UK's leading independent sector data specialist at a pivotal moment for the Leisure & Wellbeing economy
LONDON, UK — [DATE] — Leisure DB (LDB), the UK's leading independent data specialist for the fitness and leisure sector, today announces the appointment of Rich Watts as Chief Digital Officer (CDO), effective immediately.
Watts joins Leisure DB at a defining moment for the company and the sector it serves. Over the next twelve months, the business is transforming how three decades of proprietary leisure sector data is delivered to its customers — moving from traditional, manual research delivery toward an automated, web-first, AI-enabled platform. Watts is responsible for engineering and deploying that platform, and for the digital evolution of the wider business across data, research and consulting.
He brings over 25 years of experience leading teams that transform businesses through technology, with senior product and digital leadership roles across global brands in Financial Services, Professional Services, SaaS, Healthcare and Leisure. His appointment reflects the scale of the company's ambition: to make sector-grade intelligence as accessible and as fast as the environments customers already work in elsewhere.
What this means for Leisure DB's customers
For operators and suppliers, the impact will be direct and material. Site analysis that previously took weeks will be generated on demand and continuously updated. Catchment intelligence, member analytics and competitive context — historically delivered as static reports — will become live, interactive workspaces. The proprietary 30-year archive will become queryable in real time, alongside strategic partner data and curated third-party sources. For healthcare partners and investors, the same data layer will surface the macro view they need to allocate capital and shape policy intelligently.
In short: decisions that used to wait on a research turnaround will be able to happen in the same meeting they're raised in.
"The opportunity here is significant," said Rich Watts, Chief Digital Officer. "Through global data partnerships — and by applying AI to one of the richest proprietary archives in the sector — Leisure DB can serve both ends of the Leisure & Wellbeing economy at once: the macro view that investors, policymakers and capital partners need to allocate intelligently, and the micro view operators and suppliers rely on to make daily decisions about sites, members and programmes. That dual lens, delivered in real time, is what the industry has been missing — and it's why I'm energised to be joining at this moment."
"Rich brings exactly the kind of leadership we need at this pivotal moment," said David Minton, Founder. "For three decades, our clients have trusted our data to make multi-million-pound decisions. With Rich leading our digital ecosystem, we are transforming how that data reaches them — pairing our unrivalled sector intelligence with web-native tools that deliver deeper insights at unprecedented speed."
The company will share further details of its digital transformation — including new products and a refreshed brand identity — in the coming weeks.
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About Leisure DB
Leisure DB is the UK's premier independent specialist in fitness and leisure sector data auditing, market tracking and consumer analysis. For over 30 years, the company has provided suppliers, operators, investors and government bodies with unrivalled market intelligence and demographic insight. The business is currently undergoing a major digital transformation, set to deliver advanced technology, modern products and an enhanced customer experience to the rapidly growing Leisure & Wellbeing landscape.
About Rich Watts
Rich Watts is Chief Digital Officer at Leisure DB. He brings over 25 years of experience leading teams that transform businesses through technology, with senior product and digital leadership roles across global brands in Financial Services, Professional Services, SaaS, Healthcare and Leisure. At Leisure DB, he is responsible for the engineering and deployment of the company's next-generation digital platform.
Media contact
Leisure DB Press Office hello@leisuredb.com +44 (0)20 3089 8777
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