Following the death of Herbert Wigwe, Access Holdings Plc has appointed Bolaji Agbede as the Acting Group Chief Executive Officer.

Thelagostimes had earlier reported that Wigwe, who was the former Group Chief Executive Officer of Access Holdings, died over the weekend in a helicopter crash in the US. Wigwe died alongside his wife, son, and a former Group Chairman of the Nigerian Exchange Group, Abimbola Ogunbanjo.

Access Holdings, in a statement by its secretary, Sunday Ekwochi, said: “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.

“The appointment is subject to the approval of the Central Bank of Nigeria.”

Before her appointment, Agbede was Access Holdings’ most senior founding Executive Director in charge of Business Support.

While lauding her leadership qualities, the Chairman of the Company, Abubakar Jimoh said, “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 has about 30 years of experience cutting across banking and business consultancy services. She began her career at Guaranty Trust Bank in 1992 and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics and Statistics from the University of Lagos (1990) and a Master of Business Administration Degree from Canfield University, UK, in 2002.