The board of directors of Access Holdings Plc has named Ms. Bolaji Agbede as the Acting Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) following the death of Herbert Wigwe, the company's founding Group Chief Executive Officer who died 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.
According to a statement released by the board of directors on Monday, the appointment is subject to approval from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
“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.
Agbede has about thirty years of expertise in the banking and business consulting industries. She joined Access Bank in 2003 as an Assistant General Manager.
She worked for the bank for several years, holding several positions such as Head of Group HR from 2010 and 2022. In 2022, she was appointed Executive Director of Business Support, the job she maintained until her current appointment.
Her professional career began at Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB), where she worked her way up from executive trainee in 1992 to a managerial position. She formerly served as GTB's relationship manager and vault custodian.
In 2003, Agbede became the Chief Executive Officer of JKG Limited, a business consultancy firm.
Agbede earned a Bachelor's Degree in Mathematics and Statistics from the University of Lagos and a Master of Business Administration from Cranfield University in the UK in 2002.
She also holds memberships in the Nigerian Chartered Institute of Personnel Management and the United Kingdom's Chartered Institute of Management.