Access Holdings Plc Announces Bolaji Agbede As Acting Group Chief Executive Officer

Following the tragic demise of its popular Group Chief Executive Officer, Herbert Wigwe in a helicopter crash on 9 February, the Board of Directors of Access Holdings Pic has appointed Bolaji Agbede as the Acting GCEO.

According to Mr. Abubakar Jimoh, Chairman of the Board of Directors at Access Holdings: “The appointment of Ms. Agbede is in alignment with our robust succession planning practices. We are strongly convinced that Ms. Agbede, being the Company’s most Senior Executive with exceptionally rich, professional and leadership experience and understanding of the Access culture, would provide the much-needed leadership to steer the Company towards the attainment of its strategic vision of building a globally connected community and ecosystem, inspired by Africa for the world.”

Her appointment is, however, subject to the approval of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

A versatile professional with over 27 years’ experience in Human Resources management, customer relationship management, banking operations, Agbede has a proven record of successful people integration during mergers and acquisitions, culture transformation and execution of corporate strategies.

Hitherto, she was the Company’s most senior founding Executive Director in charge of Business Support.

She started her professional career in 1992 at Guaranty Trust Bank and served in various capacities within the Commercial Banking and Operations functions rising to the position of Manager in 2001. She subsequently served as the Chief Executive Officer of JKG Limited, a business consulting outfit in 2003.

Agbede joined Access Bank Pic in 2003 as an Assistant General Manager and was responsible for managing the Bank’s portfolio of chemical trading companies. She served as the Bank’s Head, Group Human Resources between 2010 and 2022 and was appointed the Company’s founding Executive Director, Business Support in 2022. She has a track record in successful people integration in business combination and culture transformation.

She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics and Statistics from the University of Lagos and a Masters of Business Administration Degree from Canfield University
UK. She is a member of the Chartered Institute of Management UK and the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria.

The late Herbert Wigwe was considered one of the most influential Africans in Finance and Banking.

Wigwe and five others, including his wife and son tragically died on 9 February 2024 after the Eurocopter EC130 in which they were travelling crashed near Nipton, California. Also killed in the crash were former Chairman of Nigerian Exchange Group, Abimbola Ogunbanjo, and two crew members. Wigwe was only 57 years old, and considered one of the sharpest and innovative minds in Africa’s financial and baking landscape.

In a statement following his untimely death, the Bank wrote: “With a heavy heart, we announce the passing of Dr. Herbert Wigwe, Group Chief Executive Officer of Access Holdings. Herbert’s visionary leadership and unwavering commitment to social impact initiatives have left an indelible mark on Access Holdings and the communities we serve. His legacy will never be forgotten.”