Herbert Onyewuchi Wigwe, CFR

Herbert Onyewuchi Wigwe was a Nigerian banker, entrepreneur and business executive who played a defining role in the transformation and expansion of Access Bank Plc. He joined Access Bank in 2002 alongside Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede following their acquisition of the bank, becoming Deputy Managing Director while Aig-Imoukhuede served as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer. Access Bank has described Wigwe as a co-founder and a key driving force behind the transformation of the Access franchise. He became Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Access Bank in 2014 and later became the founding Group Chief Executive Officer of Access Holdings Plc in 2022. Under his leadership, Access expanded its African strategy and developed into a major African banking group. Wigwe died on 9 February 2024 in a helicopter accident in the United States.