Herbert Wigwe’s death: Access Holdings appoint acting CEO

Following the death of Herbert Wigwe, Access Holdings Plc announced the appointment of Bolaji Agbede as acting group CEO.

According to a statement issued Monday by the company’s board of directors, the appointment is subject to Central Bank of Nigeria approval.

“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.

“The appointment is subject to the approval of the Central Bank of Nigeria,” the statement read in part.

Ms Agbede, who joined Access Bank in 2003 as an assistant general, has nearly three decades of professional experience cutting across banking and business consultancy services.

She served in different roles at the bank including, head of group human resources between 2010 and 2022 before she was appointed the company’s founding executive director of business support in 2022, a role she held until her new appointment.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and statistics from the University of Lagos and a masters of business administration degree from Cranfield University UK in 2002.

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

Meanwhile, Wigwe died in a helicopter crash alongside his wife, son, and a former chairman of the Nigeria Exchange Group, Abimboloa Ogunbanjo, on February 9.