Bolaji Agbede Named Interim CEO of Access Holdings Following Loss

Access Corporation, the parent company of Access Bank, Nigeria’s largest bank, has appointed Bolaji Agbede as interim CEO in the wake of the sudden passing of Herbert Wigwe and five others in a helicopter crash.

Access Corporation, the parent company of Access Bank, Nigeria’s biggest bank by assets, has named Bolaji Agbede as interim CEO following the sudden passing away of Herbert Wigwe, who served as CEO. The announcement comes just two days after the untimely death of Wigwe, his wife, son, and three other passengers, including Abimbola Ogunbanjo, the former chairman of the Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX), in a helicopter crash bound for Las Vegas.

In a statement released on Tuesday morning, Abubakar Jimoh, chairman of Access Holdings, expressed confidence in Agbede’s leadership abilities, stating that her appointment is in line with the company’s robust succession planning practices. Jimoh emphasised Agbede’s extensive experience within the organisation, citing her 21-year tenure at Access Bank and her most recent role as the bank’s most senior founding Executive Director in Business Support.

Agbede, a seasoned professional with over 27 years of experience in Human Resources management, customer relationship management, and banking operations, holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Statistics from the University of Lagos and a Master of Business Administration degree from Cranfield University. She is also a member of the Chartered Institute of Management UK and the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria.

Prior to her appointment as interim CEO, Agbede served as the bank’s head of Group Human Resources for 12 years, demonstrating her proficiency in people integration during mergers and acquisitions, culture transformation, and execution of corporate strategies.

Agbede’s appointment as acting GCEO is pending regulatory approvals by the Central Bank of Nigeria.

Following the news of Wigwe’s passing, the share price of Access Holdings experienced a 6.26% decline on Monday. However, Access Holding (ACCESSCORP) remains the highest traded stock on the Nigerian Exchange.