Why Access Holdings Picked Ms Agbede To Succeed Late Dr Wigwe as Group CEO
By Emmanuel Uffot
Amidst the mourning currently enveloping Access Holdings Group over the death of their Chief Executive Officer ( CEO) Dr Herbert Wigwe, the financial institution through its Board has picked Ms Bolaji Agbede as acting Group CEO.
The appointment was conveyed in a statement released by the Chairman of the Board Abubakar Jimoh which was signed by the company’s Secretary Sunday Ekwoch states reasons behind the choice.
According to the Board Chairman, Agbede was chosen because of the confidence that she would steer the company’s ship in line with the strategic vision of Access Holdings and the former CEO.
” The appointment of Ms Bolaji Agbede is in alignment with our robust succession planning practices.
“We are strongly convinced that Ms Agbede, being the company’s most senior executive with exceptionally rich, professional leadership experience and understanding of the Access Holdings 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”, Jimoh stated.
Agbede commenced her professional career in 1992 at GTB and served in various capacities where she rose to the position of manager in 2001.
She served as the CEO of JKG Limited, a business Consulting outfit.
She joined Access Bank in 2003 as assistant general manager, and was then responsible for managing the bank’s chemical trading portfolio.
She served as the bank’s Head of Human Resources.
Agbede had in the course of her industrious professional career, established herself as an expert in mergers and acquisitions by playing key roles in the integration of staffers of the bank in the three mergers Access Bank accomplished in the past 20 years of its operations.
This revolution in her career began in 2005 when she led the successful integration of employees of Marina International Bank and Capital Bank.
In 2012, she also played a key role in merger and acquisition of International Bank. Also played that role in the landmark merger of Access Bank and Diamond Bank in 2019.
Ms Bolaji Agbede holds Bachelors degree in Mathematics and Statistics from the University of Lagos (1990) and Masters in Business and Administration Degree from Cranfield University United Kingdom (2002).
She is a member of the Chartered Institute Management in UK and the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria.
According to the Board’s Chairman, the acting Group CEO’s appointment is subject to approval by the CBN.
