Access Bank’s Parent Gets New GCEO as Bolaji Agbede Bows Out

Access Holdings has announced the appointment of Innocent Ike as the substantive Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the company, effective August 29, 2025, following the receipt of regulatory approval.

Ike will succeed Bolaji Agbede, who has served as the company’s acting Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer for the past 18 months and has played a vital role in driving the Company’s performance, according to a statement.

Due to regulatory stipulations on the required years of experience for a Financial Holding Company’s Managing Director, Agbede will revert to her substantive role as the Company’s Executive Director, Business Support.

During Agbede’s 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 of the Company.

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 in navigating the Company through challenges and opportunities. While regulatory requirements necessitate this change, we are grateful for the strong foundation that has been laid.”

Ike graduated from the University of Lagos with a BSc (Hons) 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.