Access Holdings PLC has appointed Mr. Innocent Ike as its new Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, effective August 29, 2025, following regulatory approval. The appointment marks a leadership transition as Ike succeeds Ms. Bolaji Agbede, who served as Acting Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer for the past 18 months after taking over from the previous substantive CEO.
Agbede will return to her role as Executive Director, Business Support, due to regulatory requirements regarding the minimum years of experience needed for a Financial Holding Company’s Managing Director position. During her tenure as acting CEO, Access Holdco achieved significant milestones including workforce stability during leadership transition, successful execution of the company’s N351 billion rights issue, and completion of two Annual General Meetings.
Company Chairman Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede praised both executives, stating: “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.” Ike brings over three decades of banking and financial services experience, including a recent stint as Managing Director/CEO of Polaris Bank from 2020 to 2022, where he launched VULTe, the bank’s digital platform that earned multiple industry awards.
The new CEO, a University of Lagos accounting graduate and Fellow of both the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria and Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, expressed commitment to building on the company’s established legacy. “I look forward to building on the strong legacy established by Herbert Wigwe and Bolaji Agbede, and driving our vision forward,” Ike said, as Access Holdings continues pursuing its goal of becoming “the World’s Most Respected African Financial Services Group.”
