Access Holdings Plc has confirmed the appointment of Mr. Innocent Ike as its substantive Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer (GMD/CEO), effective August 29, 2025, following regulatory approval.
The announcement, signed by the Company Secretary, Sunday Ekwochi, was released on Wednesday, just hours after Roosevelt Ogbonna stepped down from the board of the holding company to align with the Central Bank of Nigeria’s 2023 Corporate Governance Guidelines, which limit the number of directors on a financial holding company board to nine.
Ike succeeds Ms. Bolaji Agbede, who had steered the Group in an acting capacity for the past 18 months following the tragic death of former CEO Herbert Wigwe in 2024. Agbede will now return to her substantive role as Executive Director, Business Support.
In a statement, Access Holdings Chairman, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, described Ike’s appointment as a strategic milestone for the Group.
“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,” Aig-Imoukhuede said.
During her tenure, Agbede presided over key milestones including workforce stability, the execution of a ₦351 billion rights issue, and the seamless hosting of two Annual General Meetings.
Accepting the new role, Ike pledged to build on the legacy of his predecessors:
“I am honoured to take on the role of Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer and excited to work alongside the talented team at Access Holdings. I look forward to building on the strong legacy established by Herbert Wigwe and Bolaji Agbede, and driving our vision forward, ensuring we continue to deliver exceptional value to our shareholders and stakeholders.”
A distinguished professional, Ike graduated as the Best Accounting Student from the University of Lagos in 1988. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, and a certified IFRS expert.
With more than 30 years of banking experience, Ike previously served a decade at Access Bank, rising to the rank of General Manager, before becoming Managing Director/CEO of Polaris Bank (2020–2022), where he spearheaded the launch of VULTe, the bank’s award-winning digital platform.
