Lagos, Aug 28 – Access Holdings PLC, parent company of Access bank announced on Wednesday the appointment of Mr. Innocent Ike as the “substantive Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer”.
According to a statement from the financial institution, the appointment is effective August 29, 2025, following the receipt of regulatory approval.
Mr. Ike succeeds Ms. Bolaji Agbede, who served as the Company’s Acting Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for the past 18 months.
During her tenure, Ms. Agbede played a vital role in driving the company’s performance and stability following the demise of the former Group CEO Herbert Wigwe, who died in an helicopter crash in the U.S last year.
Access Holdings noted that her leadership helped achieve significant milestones, including ensuring a “seamless transition and successful execution of the Company’s N351 billion Rights Issue.”
Ms. Agbede will now revert to her substantive role as the Company’s Executive Director, Business Support.
Commenting on the transition, the Company’s Chairman, Mr. Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, CFR, praised Ms. Agbede’s contributions. “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.”
Mr. Ike the new Group CEO is a distinguished professional with a long history in banking and finance. He graduated from the University of Lagos with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting in 1988. 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 of experience in the banking and financial services sectors, including a decade at Access Bank where he rose to General Manager.
As of the first quarter of 2025 (ending March 31, 2025), access holding total assets were valued at N38.87 trillion ( $25.27 billion). This figure has shown substantial growth from N36.5 trillion ( $23.73 billion) at the end of December 2024.
Access Bank Group has a significant global footprint with banking subsidiaries in countries including Nigeria, Angola, Botswana, Cameroon, France, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and Zambia.
