Nigeria’s Access Holding Plc Appoints Agbede New CEO After Wigwe’s Death In Air Mishap

Access Holdings Plc has appointed Bolaji Agbede as the Head and Acting Group Chief Executive Officer following the Herbert Wigwe’s death.

Wigwe, who was the Group Chief Executive Officer of Access Holdings, unfortunately died in a plane crash in the United States over the weekend alongside his wife, son, and a former Group Chairman of the Nigerian Exchange Group Abimbola Ogunbanjo.

About two days after the air mishap which took the banking sector and many by surprise, Access Holdings announced Agbede as the company’s new chief.

“Further to its announcement dated February 11, 2024, the Board of Directors of Access Holdings Plc (‘the Company’) has today announced the appointment of Ms Bolaji Agbede as the Acting Group Chief Executive Officer of the Company following the unfortunate demise of its former Group Chief Executive Officer, Dr Herbert Wigwe, on February 9, 2024,” Access Holdings said in a statement by its secretary Sunday Ekwochi. “The appointment is subject to the approval of the Central Bank of Nigeria.”

Before her appointment, Agbede was Access Holdings’ most senior founding Executive Director in charge of Business Support.

While lauding her leadership qualities, the Chairman of the Company Abubakar Jimoh said, “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”.

Agbede has about 30 years of experience cutting across banking and business consultancy services. She began her career at Guaranty Trust Bank in 1992 and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics and Statistics from the University of Lagos (1990) and a Master of Business Administration Degree from Canfield University, UK, in 2002.

FULL STATEMENT BELOW:

Lagos, Nigeria
February 12, 2024

ACCESS HOLDINGS PLC ANNOUNCES THE APPOINTMENT OF MS. BOLAJI AGBEDE AS ACTING GROUP CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Further to its announcement dated February 11, 2024, the Board of Directors of Access Holdings Pic (‘the Company’) has today announced the appointment of Ms. Bolaji Agbede as the Acting Group Chief Executive Officer of the Company following the unfortunate demise of its former Group Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Herbert Wigwe, on February 9, 2024.

The appointment is subject to the approval of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

Until her recent appointment, Ms. Agbede was the Company’s most senior founding Executive Director in charge of Business Support.

She has nearly three decades of professional experience cutting across banking and business consultancy services. Ms Agbede commenced 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.

Ms. Agbede joined Access Bank Pic (‘the Bank’) 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 (1990) and a Masters of Business Administration Degree from Canfield University

UK in 2002. She is a member of the Chartered Institute of Management UK and the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria.

Ms. Agbede has attended several renowned leadership and professional development programmes including the High-Performance Leadership Programme organized by the IMD and the Strategic Talent Management Programme organised by the London Business School

Commenting on this appointment, Mr. Abubakar Jimoh, the Chairman of the Company said:

“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*.

SUNDAY EKWOCHI
COMPANY SECRETARY