Access Holdings appoints Bolaji Agbede as acting CEO

The Board of Directors of Access Holdings Plc has appointed Bolaji Agbede as the Acting Group Chief Executive Officer of the company.

The company’s Secretary, Sunday Ekwochi, stated this in a notification to the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) on Monday, February 12, 2024.

Ekwochi said the decision followed the demise of the company’s former Group Chief Executive Officer, Herbert Wigwe, on Friday.

Wigwe, his wife, son, and the former Chairman of NGX Group, Abimbola Ogunbanjo, died in a helicopter crash in California, United States.

The Access Holdings secretary noted that the appointment was subject to the approval of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

He said until Agbede’s appointment, she was the company’s most senior founding Executive Director in charge of Business Support.

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According to him, Agbede 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 (GTB) and served in various capacities within the Commercial Banking and Operations functions rising to the position of a manager in 2001.

The Acting Group CEO subsequently served as the Chief Executive Officer of JKS Limited, a business consulting outfit in 2003.

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 served as the bank’s Head Group Human Resources between 2010 and 2022 and was appointed the company’s founding Executive Director, Business Support in 2022.

Agbede has a track record in successful people integration in business combination and culture transformation.

She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Statistics from the University of Lagos in 1990 and a Master of Business Administration Degree from Cranfield University, United Kingdom in 2002.

The Acting Group CEO is a member of the Chartered Institute of Management, UK, and the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria.

Speaking, the Chairman of Access Holdings, Abubakar Jimoh, said the appointment of Agbede was in alignment with the firm’s robust succession planning practices.

The Star