Access Bank appoints Ifeyinwa Osime as Chairman

Access Holdings Plc has appointed Mrs Ifeyinwa Osime as the new Chairman of the Board of Access Bank Plc, its flagship subsidiary, following the retirement of Mr Paul Usoro (SAN) after the completion of his regulatory tenure.

The announcement was made in a statement by the company, which confirmed that Usoro stepped down on January 29, 2026, after serving out his term.

Osime, a seasoned legal practitioner with extensive experience in corporate governance and strategic leadership, joined the Access Bank board in November 2019 as an Independent Non-Executive Director.

Before her elevation to chairman, she chaired both the Board Human Resources and Sustainability Committee and the Board Governance, Nomination and Remuneration Committee, where she played key roles in strengthening governance structures, leadership development and sustainability initiatives.

She also served on several other board committees.

Beyond Access Bank, Osime is a director at Ebudo Trust Limited and a partner at McPherson Legal Practitioners, advising on corporate and commercial law while contributing to the firm’s strategic direction.

Her previous board experience includes serving as an Independent Non-Executive Director at Coronation Insurance Plc, Chairman of Coronation Life Insurance Company Ltd, and Non-Executive Director at Bank PHB, now Keystone Bank.

She began her career at Nigeria Reinsurance Corporation and later worked at African Development Insurance Company Limited (now NSIA Insurance) as Company Secretary and Assistant General Manager, Administration and Legal.

A graduate of law from the University of Benin, Osime was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1987.

She holds a Master of Laws degree in Commercial and Corporate Law from the London School of Economics and has completed executive education programmes at INSEAD, IMD, Harvard Business School, MIT and Stanford, among others.

She is a member of the Nigerian Bar Association, Women Corporate Directors Nigeria Chapter, and the Chartered Institute of Directors Nigeria, where she serves on the Executive Committee of the Women Sectoral Group.

She is also involved in mentoring young people and supports initiatives focused on autism and developmental delays.

Commenting on her appointment, Access Holdings Group Chairman, Mr Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, described Osime as a principled and experienced leader with a strong understanding of the bank’s strategy and values.

He said her leadership would help the bank advance its strategic objectives and continue delivering sustainable value to shareholders and stakeholders.

Aig-Imoukhuede also congratulated Usoro on the successful completion of his tenure, commending his leadership and contributions to the group and wishing him well in his future endeavours.