Access Holdings Appoints Acting CEO 3 Days After Herbert Wigwe’s Death

Access Holdings Plc has announced the appointment of Ms. Bolaji Agbede as Acting Group Chief Executive Officer following the death of its Group Chief Executive Officer, Herbert Wigwe, in a helicopter crash in the United States three days earlier – on Friday, February 9, 2024.In a notification to the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Monday night, the company said the appointment of Ms. Agbede was subject to the approval of the Central Bank of Nigeria.The company explained that until her appointment, Ms. Agbede was the most senior founding Executive Director in charge of Business Support.Agbede has nearly three decades of professional experience cutting across banking and business consultancy.Shee 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. (Based on reports by THISDAY and The Guardian)