Access Holdings plc has announced the appointment of Mr. Innocent Ike as the substantive Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Company, effective today, August 29, 2025, following the receipt of regulatory approval.
Mr. Ike succeeds Ms. Bolaji Agbede, who has served as Acting Group MD/CEO for the past 18 months and is credited with playing a vital role in driving the Company’s performance. Due to regulatory stipulations on the required years of experience for a Financial Holding Company’s Managing Director, Ms Agbede will revert to her substantive role as the Company’s Executive Director, Business Support.
During her tenure, Access Holdco achieved significant milestones, including ensuring workforce stability and seamless transition following the demise of the former Group Chief Executive Officer; successful execution of the Company’s N351 Billion Rights Issue and seamless hosting of two Annual General Meetings. Her leadership and strategic vision have not only maintained the Company’s momentum but also strengthened its competitive position in the industry.
Commenting on the development, the Company’s Chairman, Mr. Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede said:
“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 to navigating the Company through challenges and opportunities. While regulatory requirements necessitate this change, we are grateful for the strong foundation that has been laid.”
Mr. Ike graduated from the University of Lagos with a BSc in Accounting in 1988, receiving recognition as the Best Graduating Student. 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’ experience in banking and financial services, ten years of which were spent at Access Bank, where he rose to General Manager, overseeing portfolios in corporate, commercial, and public sectors.
He served as the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Polaris Bank from 2020 to 2022, during which he launched VULTe, the bank’s digital banking platform, earning several industry awards including the BusinessDay BAFI Digital Bank of the Year Award and the Nigerian Fintech Digital Bank of the Year Award in 2021 and 2022, respectively.
Mr. Ike said on his appointment: “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.”
Meanwhile, Access Holdings has also announced the resignation of Mr. Roosevelt Ogbonna, as Non-Executive Director from its Board after three and a half years of dedicated service.
According to the statement from the company, Mr. Ogbonna will continue in his role as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Access Bank Plc, the Group’s flagship banking subsidiary. The company explained that his resignation became necessary to ensure compliance with the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Corporate Governance Guidelines for Financial Holding Companies (2023), which limit the number of directors on a financial holding company’s board to nine.
“The board appreciates Mr. Ogbonna for his outstanding and continued contributions to the Access Group,” the statement read.
Mr. Ogbonna was appointed Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Access Bank Plc in May 2022, after serving as Deputy Managing Director from 2017 and Executive Director from 2013. He joined Access Bank in 2002 from Guaranty Trust Bank and has over two decades experience in the banking sector.
A Fellow of ICAN, an Honorary Member of CIBN and a CFA charter holder, Mr. Ogbonna holds an MBA from IMD Business School in Switzerland, an LL.M in International Corporate & Commercial Law from King’s College London, and an Executive MBA from Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business. He also has a B.Sc. in Banking and Finance from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and has completed the Senior Executive Fellow programme at Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
In 2015, he was recognised by the Institute of International Finance as one of its Future Global Leaders. Beyond his role as CEO, Mr. Ogbonna sits on the boards of Access Bank’s subsidiaries in the UK and South Africa and represents the bank on the boards of the Africa Finance Corporation and CSCS Plc.
As of August 2025, the Board of Access Holdings Plc is chaired by Mr. Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, with Bolaji Olaitan Agbede serving as Acting Group CEO, and Lanre Bamisebi as Executive Director. The independent non-executive directors include Abubakar Aribidesi Jimoh, Fatimah Bintah Bello-Ismail, and Ibironke Adeyemi, while other members are Ojinika Nkechinyelu Olaghere and Olusegun Babalola Ogbonnewo.
