On Friday, February 9, 2024, Dr. Herbert Wigwe, the founding Group Chief Executive Officer of Access Holdings Plc and Co-founder of Access Bank Plc passed away in a helicopter crash in the United States of America, along with his wife and kid.
A statement has been issued by Access Holdings Plc confirming his tragic death. The Group said in a statement released on Sunday, February 11, that “Everyone at Access Family is in deep sorrow over the deaths of Herbert, Doreen, and Chizi. We offer his family and loved ones our profound condolences. Since joining the Bank in 2002, Dr. Wigwe has been a major motivator and a larger-than-life character who has contributed his amazing passion, energy, and experience to the transformation of the Access franchise.
Mr. Abubakar Jimoh, Chairman of Access Holdings, expressed his thoughts on Dr. Wigwe’s passing as follows: “The Access Family has suffered a major loss with the passing of Dr. Wigwe who was a great friend and fine gentleman.” We are indebted to him for his invaluable business experience, remarkable personal traits, and extraordinary intelligence that he brought to the Access Family.
“We are still convinced that Dr. Wigwe’s legacy of expansion and operational excellence will be further built upon by the Access Group.”
With his friend and business partner Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, Dr. Wigwe co-founded Access Bank, which has grown significantly.
Before taking the helm at Access Holdings in 2022, he became leadership of Access Bank Group in 2014, concentrating on the Bank’s growth in Nigeria and Africa.
Access Bank advanced its African strategy under his direction, becoming to be the biggest retail bank in Sub-Saharan Africa in terms of clientele.
“We are deeply saddened by the demise of Dr. Herbert Wigwe, who was a man of many colors because of the exceptional impact he had on growth of the banking industry and communities we serve,” stated Mr. Olumide Olatunji, country managing director for Access Bank Ghana. Dr. Wigwe, a pan-Africanist and our first chairman of the board, played a crucial role in establishing the Access Bank brand in Ghana as an important development partner. We shall never forget his legacy.
Dr. Wigwe served on the boards of the Nigerian Business Coalition Against AIDS (NiBUCAA) and Access Bank UK. He has long supported the goal of eliminating malaria in Africa by collaborating with the Corporate Alliance on Malaria. In addition, he had positions on the boards of Friends Africa and the Nigerian Mortgage Refinance Company. He was also a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, the Institute of Credit Administration, and the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, as well as an honorary member.
Dr. Wigwe, a two-time recipient of the African Banker of the Year award from the African Banker Awards, was a fervent supporter of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, which serve as the cornerstone of Access Holdings’ expansion plan.
His degrees are from the University of Nigeria in Accounting, the University College of North Wales (now Bangor University) in Banking and Finance for an MA, and the University of London for an MSc in Financial Economics. He also finished the Executive Management Program at Harvard Business School.
Dr. Wigwe just established Wigwe University, the first Ivy League school in Africa, with the goal of educating the next generation of brave leaders and offering top-notch instruction.