Access Holdings appoints Innocent Ike as GMD

Access Holdings has appointed Innocent Ike as the substantive Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the company.

Access Holdings, in a statement on Thursday, August 28, said Ike’s appointment takes effect on Friday, August 29, 2025, following the receipt of regulatory approval.

Ike will succeed Bolaji Agbede, who has served as the company’s Acting Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer for the past 18 months.

Access Holdings stated that due to regulatory stipulations on the required years of experience for a Financial Holding Company’s Managing Director, Agbede will revert to her substantive role as the company’s Executive Director, Business Support.

Commenting on the development, Access Holdings Chairman, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Mr. Innocent Ike as we move forward. At the same time, we want to express our deepest gratitude to Ms. Bolaji Agbede.

“Her outstanding contributions over the past 18 months have been invaluable, and we appreciate her dedication in navigating the Company through challenges and opportunities. While regulatory requirements necessitate this change, we are grateful for the strong foundation that has been laid.”

Speaking on the appointment, Ike said: “I am honoured to take on the role of Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer and excited to work alongside the talented team at Access Holdings.

Access Holdings posts N182.75bn profit in Q1 2025

“I look forward to building on the strong legacy established by Herbert Wigwe and Bolaji Agbede, and driving our vision forward, ensuring we continue to deliver exceptional value to our shareholders and stakeholders.”

Ike graduated from the University of Lagos with a BSc (Hons) in Accounting in 1988, receiving recognition as the best graduating student.

He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), and a Certified IFRS expert.

He has over three decades experience in banking and financial services, ten years of which were spent at Access Bank, where he rose to General Manager, overseeing portfolios in corporate, commercial, and public sectors.

He served as the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Polaris Bank from 2020 to 2022, during which he launched VULTe, the bank’s digital banking platform, earning several industry awards, including the BusinessDay BAFI Digital Bank of the Year Award and the Nigerian Fintech Digital Bank of the Year Award in 2021 and 2022, respectively.

The Star