Access Holdings Plc has announced the appointment of Ms. Bolaji Agbede as the Acting Group Chief Executive Officer.

This follows the death of its former Group Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Herbert Wigwe in a helicopter crash alongside his wife, son, and a former chairman of the Nigeria Exchange Group, Abimboloa Ogunbanjo on Friday in California, United States

A statement made by the company’s Board of Directors and dated February 12, 2024, stated that the appointment was subject to the approval of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

“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 signed by the Group Company Secretary, Sunday Ekwochi, read in part.

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. She 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

Agbede joined Access Bank in 2003 as an assistant general manager and was responsible for managing the Bank’s portfolio of chemical trading companies

She became the head of human resources for the Access Bank Group in 2010, overseeing the human capital development of the Group. She held the position until June 2022 when she was appointed the executive director of Access Holdings after the bank transitioned to a holding company.

The University of Lagos alumnus began her professional career at Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB), where she rose from executive trainee in 1992 to a managerial position in 2001. She was once GTB’s relationship manager and vault custodian

Ms. Agbede subsequently served as the Chief Executive Officer of JKG Limited, a business consulting outfit, in 2003