Access Holdings Plc has confirmed the appointment of Innocent Ike as its new Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, effective August 29, 2025. The appointment follows the approval of financial regulators.

Ike succeeds Bolaji Agbede, who has served in an acting capacity for 18 months following the sudden death of former CEO Herbert Wigwe in February 2024. Agbede’s leadership helped the financial services giant navigate regulatory pressures and investor concerns. However, she could not be confirmed as substantive CEO due to the Central Bank of Nigeria’s requirement on minimum experience for heads of financial holding companies. She will now resume her role as Executive Director, Business Support.

Access Holdings Chairman, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, commended Agbede’s stewardship during the transition. “Her contributions have been invaluable in stabilising the organisation and restoring investor confidence,” he said in a regulatory filing on Wednesday.

During her tenure, Agbede oversaw key milestones, including a ₦351 billion rights issue, workforce stabilisation, and the successful conduct of two Annual General Meetings.

The new CEO, Innocent Ike, brings over three decades of banking and leadership experience. He is a fellow of both the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) and the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), and an alumnus of the University of Lagos, where he graduated as the best accounting student in 1988.

Ike has held senior positions at Access Bank, managing corporate, commercial, and public sector portfolios. He also served as CEO of Polaris Bank between 2020 and 2022, where he pioneered VULTe, the bank’s award-winning digital banking platform.