Leigh Gower is a senior technology executive and board director who accelerates growth by aligning technology strategy with business outcomes, driving transformation, customer value, and measurable results at scale. She currently serves as a Senior Advisor (Consultant) with L.E.K. Consulting’s Digital Executive Network and as a Board Member of the Technology Association of Oregon (TAO), where she also serves on the Finance Committee.
Most recently, Gower served as Chief Technology Officer and then Strategic Advisor at Dutch Bros Coffee (December 2021 to March 2025), where she led platform modernization, cloud strategy, and scalable systems as the publicly traded beverage company grew from 500+ to over 700 drive-thru locations. She transformed the IT organization into a strategic partner capable of supporting aggressive expansion while preserving the culture that made Dutch Bros distinctive.
Before Dutch Bros, Gower served as Vice President, Technology at Blue Nile (October 2020 to November 2021) and spent eight years at T-Mobile in progressively senior roles, culminating as Senior Director, Product & Technology (July 2018 to August 2020), where she led digital transformation, product management teams, and technology strategy supporting millions of customers.
Her career also includes management consulting at Slalom Consulting, where she built her foundation in helping companies transform customer service through technology.
What She Brings to the Boardroom
Gower’s value is understanding how to bridge technology and business, turning strategy into execution that drives growth, speed, and competitive strength.
As she describes herself, she’s “known for bridging technology and business, turning strategy into execution that drives growth, speed, and competitive strength.”
Her approach is rooted in a fundamental insight from her origin story with Cowen Partners: she has guided her career not by following a predetermined path, but by pursuing curiosity and learning opportunities.
That flexibility has positioned her to lead technology transformations across consumer, retail, and digital businesses where growth demanded a fundamental shift in how technology powered the business.
Boards increasingly need directors who can partner with executive teams to ensure technology investments are aligned to strategy, responsibly funded, and measured against meaningful KPIs.
Gower has led large, cross-functional teams supporting millions of customers, delivering faster time-to-market, stronger reliability, and improved customer experience through Agile and DevOps execution.
Her focus on executive and advisory roles where technology, growth, and transformation intersect makes her especially valuable for consumer and retail businesses ready to scale.
Core Competencies
Technology strategy and business alignment
Gower brings deep experience aligning technology strategy with business outcomes. She partners closely with executive teams to ensure technology investments drive measurable results, not just technical capabilities. At Dutch Bros, she led platform modernization to support expansion. At T-Mobile, she led digital transformation initiatives during a period of significant business change. She understands how to make technology a growth enabler rather than a constraint.
Platform modernization and scalability
Her expertise includes leading cloud migration, platform modernization, and building scalable systems that support aggressive growth. She’s built technology architectures for businesses serving millions of customers while maintaining reliability and improving customer experience. She knows when to rebuild, when to refactor, and when technical debt becomes a strategic liability.
Digital transformation leadership
Gower has led transformation across consumer, retail, and digital businesses. At T-Mobile, she directed Digital Experience Transformation and eService Transformation, leading teams through fundamental shifts in how technology supported customer engagement. She understands the organizational change, process redesign, and cultural shifts required to make digital transformation successful, not just theoretically sound.
Team building and cross-functional leadership
As she states in her origin story, “One of the reasons why I took this role is I have a background and a strong reputation and experience for building really effective teams and building really effective team cultures.” She’s built and led large, cross-functional teams through Agile and DevOps execution. Her philosophy: “I don’t look for folks that fit what’s currently there. I actually look for folks that are possibly going to challenge the status quo or raise boats, take us in a new direction.”
Advisory and consulting
Her current role with L.E.K. Consulting’s Digital Executive Network positions her to advise companies on technology strategy, transformation, and growth. She brings operational experience to advisory conversations, understanding both the strategic vision and the execution realities.
Technology governance and finance oversight
Through her TAO board service and Finance Committee role, Gower contributes to technology ecosystem development, advocacy, and financial oversight. She understands how to govern technology investments, measure returns, and ensure responsible capital allocation.
Background
Gower earned a Bachelor of Science in Economics and Spanish from the University of Puget Sound, where she was a student athlete.
She has completed advanced certifications in Agile Business Solutions and Strategic Project Management from Villanova University, plus professional development at the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Washington.
Her board service with the Technology Association of Oregon reflects her commitment to building Oregon’s tech ecosystem. TAO’s mission is to create a world-class and inclusive innovation economy in the region through programs focusing on advocacy, entrepreneurship, professional networks, and talent development.
Colleagues describe her as “one of the most thoughtful and compassionate leaders,” who “treats everyone she works with, leads, or meets as human beings.” They note her ability to “speak and advocate to all levels of her organization” and her understanding that “her people were her best asset.”
Gower’s career advice to those pursuing technology leadership roles remains simple but powerful: “Own your seat. You are in that seat for a reason, and that is because you bring a unique perspective, skillset, background, or experience that brought you there. You belong there. Your colleagues want and need to hear your contributions and ideas.”
Connect with Leigh on LinkedIn.
Directors in Focus
Directors in Focus highlights the board members who shape strategy, navigate complexity, and drive governance excellence across industries. Each profile examines the competencies, decisions, and perspectives that define effective board leadership in an era of heightened scrutiny and global volatility.
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