KEMI OMONIYI
NIGERIA: Access Holdings Plc has announced Bolaji Agbede as the new Chief Executive Officer, CEO, of Access Holdings Plc.
The replacement is coming on the heels of the tragic demise of the former Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO), Dr. Herbert Wigwe, who died in a helicopter crash in California on Friday night.
Wigwe and all occupants of the ill-fated chopper, including his wife and a child died in the accident.
In a statement issued on Monday, Access Holdings Plc named Bolaji Agbede as the Acting GCEO of the company, under whose umbrella is the Access Bank Plc, amongst others.
The statement states: “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,”
Chairman of the company, Abubakar Jimoh, however, added that Agbede’s appointment is subject to the approval of the Central Bank of Nigeria. “The appointment of Ms Bolaji Agbede is in alignment with our robust succession planning practice.
The chairman added: “We are strongly convinced that Ms Agbede, being the company’s most senior executive, with exceptionally rich, professional and leadership experience and understanding of the Access culture, would provide the much-needed leadership to steer the company towards the attainment of its strategic vision of building a globally connected community and ecosystem, inspired by Africa for the world.”
Agbede joined Access Bank in 2003 as an Assistant General, with nearly three decades of professional experience cutting across banking and business consultancy services.
The Acting GCEO served in different roles at the bank including, Head, Group Human Resources between 2010 and 2022 before she was appointed the company’s founding Executive Director, Business Support in 2022, a role she held until her new appointment.
Bolaji Agbede holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics and Statistics from the University of Lagos and a Master of Business Administration Degree from Cranfield University UK in 2002, the statement said, adding that she is also a member of the Chartered Institute of Management UK and the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria.
