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Nigeria's Access Bank Appoints New Head After CEO's Tragic Death in Helicopter Accident

CC BY-SA 4.0 / Kaizenify / Access Bank branch at Kola bus stop, opposite AIT road, Alagbado, Lagos.
Access Bank branch at Kola bus stop, opposite AIT road, Alagbado, Lagos. - Sputnik Africa, 1920, 13.02.2024
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Herbert Wigwe, the former CEO of Nigeria's Access Bank Group, died in a helicopter crash in California, US, on Friday. His wife and son, as well as Abimbola Ogunbanjo, who was the Group Chairman of the Nigerian Exchange Group, died with him.
Bolaji Agbede assumed the role of interim Group Chief Executive Officer of Access Holdings following the death of Herbert Wigwe in a helicopter crash last week, according to a statement published by the holding.
According to the document, prior to her appointment, Agbede held the position of Access's "most senior founding executive director" in charge of business support. The appointment, however, is yet to be approved by the central bank.
The company's chairman, Abubakar Jimoh, expressed confidence that Agbede's "rich" experience will lead the bank to prosperity.

" [...] 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," the statement read.

A screenshot of a video of a tragic helicopter crash that killed Herbert Wigwe, the CEO of Nigeria’s Access Bank Group, his wife, son, and Nigerian Exchange Group PLC, Abimbola Ogunbanjo. - Sputnik Africa, 1920, 11.02.2024
Sub-Saharan Africa
CEO of Nigeria’s Access Bank Group Dies in California Helicopter Crash
The late CEO, Herbert Wigwe, died along with his wife and son in a helicopter crash on Friday, according to the US National Transportation Safety Board.
Wigwe and his business associate, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, purchased Access in 2002. In 2014, Wigwe assumed the position of CEO, taking over from his partner. He led the bank's dynamic expansion by implementing a strategy centered around acquiring both local and foreign entities, facilitating trade and payments across Africa, and mitigating risk in its domestic market of Nigeria.

As of June, Access has a total asset base of 20.9 trillion naira ($14 billion), according to the reports. It has subsidiary companies in Sub-Saharan Africa and the UK (with branches in the UAE and France), and representative offices in China, Lebanon, and India, and is reportedly aiming to expand its presence in Africa and, over time, Europe.
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