Access Holdings Plc has announced the appointment of Bolaji Agbede as the Acting Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO).

This announcement comes three days following Herbert Wigwe death, the company’s former CEO.

Wigwe died in a helicopter crash in the United States on Friday alongside his wife, first son, Chizi and a former chairman of the Nigeria Exchange Group, Abimboloa Ogunbanjo.

Agbede appointment was announced in a corporate filing on the Nigerian Exchange  Group (NGX).

The statement read: 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.”

Speaking on the leadership change, Abubakar Jimoh, the company’s chairman 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.”

Bolaji Agbede started her professional career in 1992 at Guaranty Trust Bank, she however joined Access Bank in 2003 as an Assistant General, with nearly three decades of professional experience cutting across banking and business consultancy services.

She served as the bank’s 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 recent 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 53-year-old is also said to be a member of the Chartered Institute of Management UK and the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria.