Meet Innocent Ike Access Holdings PLC new CEO

Access Holdings Plc don appoint financial guru Innocent Ike, as di Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of di company, following di receipt of regulatory approval, and im appointment go dey effective from 29 August 2025,

Di Company announce am for inside one statement wey di Secretary, Sunday Ekwochi sign.

According to di statement, dem take di decision in compliance wit di Central Bank of Nigeria Corporate Governance Guidelines for Financial Holdings Companies, 2023, wey limit di maximum numbers of directors for di board of a financial holding company to nine.

Oga Ike appointment dey come afta Roosevelt Ogbonna resign from di company board as Non-Executive Director afta three and a half years of service.

"Access Holdings Plc today announce di resignation of one of dia Non- Executive Directors Mr. Roosevelt Ogbonna from di Board afta three and half years of dedicated service.

"Oga Ogbonna go continue to serve as di Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Access Bank Plc, di company flagship subsidiary," di statement tok.

Although e don step down from di holding company Board, Oga Ogbonna go kontinu to lead Access Bank, di group flagship subsidiary, wia e bin actively drive growth and innovation across Nigeria banking sector, Oga Ekwochi add for di statement.

Oga Ike go take ova from Ms Bolaji Agbede, wey bin serve as di company acting Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer for di past 18 months, afta di death of di former Group CEO, Herbert Wigwe for 2024.

She go now return to her role as Executive Director, Business Support.

"During Agbede tenure, Access Holdco bin achieve ogbonge milestones, wey include ensuring workforce stability and seamless transition following di demise of di former Group Chief Executive Officer; successful execution of di Company N351 Billion Rights Issue and seamless hosting of two Annual General Meetings of di Company.

According to di statement, Access Holdings Chairman, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, tok say Oga Ike appointment signal new phase for di group.

"We dey very happy to welcome Mr. Innocent Ike as we move forward. At di same time, we wan express our deepest gratitude to Ms. Bolaji Agbede.

"Her outstanding contributions ova di past 18 months dey invaluable, and we appreciate her dedication in navigating di Company through challenges and opportunities. While regulatory requirements necessitate dis change, we dey grateful for di strong foundation wey dey ground."

Who be Ike Innocent?

For di Bio on im official LinkedIn account, Innocent Ike bin describe im sef as a seasoned transformational leader and chairman of di board for Centre For Entrepreneurship.

Wit ova 30 years of experience for di financial sector, e say im lead di successful transformation of Polaris Bank Limited into profitable and reputable brand, wey achieve significant growth and improvements across key regulatory and performance indices.

"I dey passionate about creating value for stakeholders and fostering a culture of excellence and collaboration. I get proven track record of launching digital banking platforms, like VULTe, which wey don win ogbonge awards for three consecutive years."

Oga Ike wey graduate from di University of Lagos wit BSc (Hons) in Accounting for 1988, and receive recognition as di Best Graduating Student. also hold multiple certifications from renowned institutions, wey include MIT Sloan School of Management, Wharton Executive Education, and Harvard Business School, Nigeria Stock Exchange tok.

E be Fellow of di Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), Fellow of di Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), plus a Certified IFRS expert.

E get ova three decades experience in banking and financial services, ten years of which e spend for Access Bank, wia e rise to di position of General Manager, wey dey oversee portfolios in corporate, commercial, and public sectors.

E bin also serve as di Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Polaris Bank from 2020 to 2022, during which e launch VULTe, di bank digital banking platform, wey earn am several industry awards including di BusinessDay BAFI Digital Bank of di Year Award and di Nigerian Fintech Digital Bank of di Year Award for 2021 and 2022, respectively.

Speaking on di appointment, Ike say: "I dey honoured to take on di role of Group Managing Director /Chief Executive Officer and happy to work alongside di talented team at Access Holdings. I look forward to building on di strong legacy wey Herbert Wigwe and Bolaji Agbede establish, and drive our vision forward, ensuring we continue to deliver exceptional value to our shareholders and stakeholders."

Access Holdings say dem remain committed to becoming di World Most Respected African Financial Services Group, and wit Innocent Ike for di helm, di Company dey well positioned for sustained success and growth.