Biography Of Herbert Wigwe, Education, Career, Philanthropy, Awards, Wife, Children

Details on Herbert Wigwe’s life and work, including his schooling, profession, philanthropy, awards, family, and death. Herbert Wigwe, CEO of Access Holdings, was among about five people murdered when a helicopter carrying him crashed in California, USA, on February 10, 2024, according to Brainnews. Herbert Wigwe’s family, husband, children, awards, education, and professional life

Herbert Wigwe—who was he?

This Nigerian businessman and banker was Herbert Onyewumbu Wigwe, CFR. He lived from August 15, 1966, to February 10, 2024. Before his passing, he presided over Access Holdings Plc, a company that traded as Access Corporation. From January 2014 until April 2022, Herbert succeeded his business partner, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, as Group Managing Director and CEO of Access Bank plc, one of the top five banks in Nigeria.

Education

The University of Nigeria awarded Wigwe a degree in accountancy; the University of North Wales (now Bangor) awarded him an MA in banking and finance; the University of London awarded him an MSc in financial economics; and Wigwe was a graduate of the Harvard Business School Executive Management Program.

Career

After beginning his work as a management consultant with Coopers & Lybrand in Lagos, Wigwe went on to become a chartered accountant. He began his career at Capital Bank before moving on to GTBank, where he remained for over a decade, specializing in institutional and corporate banking and eventually becoming the executive director responsible for that division. Access Bank, which Wigwe and Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede co-founded in 2002, was a tiny commercial bank ranking 65th out of 89 in the nation. With ambitions to become Africa’s leading bank, Access Bank has risen to become one of Nigeria’s top five banks and was named one of the world’s 500 largest banks by The Banker magazine in 2015. Across key centers in Nigeria, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the UK, it has 350 branches and over 1,500 ATMs, serving over 6.5 million account holders at present. In addition to his current role as Chairman of Access Bank (UK) Limited, Wigwe has held the positions of Chairman of Access Bank Ghana Limited, Access Investment & Securities Limited, and the Central Securities and Clearing System (CSCS). He serves on the advisory board for Friends Africa and the Nigerian Mortgage Refinance Company. A member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, a Fellow of the Institute of Credit Administration, and an Associate of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN-FCA) are among his many accolades. His tenure at Access Bank began in January 2014 and ended when he passed away. He recently spoke at a Silicon Valley and Financial Times symposium in Mozambique, among other global engagements.Wigwe established the charitable foundation, The HOW Foundation, in 2016.

Accolades and accomplishments

In 2016, Wigwe was recognized as the Banker of the Year by two of Nigeria’s most prominent newspapers, The Sun and Vanguard. A Nigerian Chapter of the Boys’ BrigadeTo honor “his exemplary role in society and contributions to youth development,” Herbert Wigwe was inaugurated as State Patron for Lagos State Council in 2016 by the Boys’ Brigade (BB). President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria bestowed the national honor of Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) upon him in October 2022.

The Access Workshop

‘Thought-Leadership Series,’ better known as The Access Conference, was co-founded by Wigwe. In response to a worldwide appeal for corporate action to address humanity’s most pressing problems, Access Bank hosts the biennial event. Ever since it began in 2013, the Access Conference has routinely brought together international leaders to discuss and debate pressing global issues, including both opportunities and challenges. ‘Sustainable Leadership’ was the theme of the 2013 edition, and Wigwe joined George W. Bush, Nicolas Sarkozy, and John Kufuor in reiterating the significance of leadership to the achievements of both nations and major corporations. At the 2015 edition, Wigwe hosted world leaders such as Steve Wozniak, N. R. Narayana Murthy, José María Figueres, Muhammad Yunus, and Ted Souder (Head, Industry (Retail) at Google) for a discussion of the theme ‘Leading in a Transformational World: The Imperative of Innovation’.Grants and charitable contributions for vulnerable children, orphans, and IDPs in northern Nigeria are being provided through a partnership between Wigwe, Access Bank, and UNICEF. The bank hosts the prestigious Access Bank/UNICEF Charity Shield Polo tournament every year to bring attention to this cause. The Nigerian Business Coalition against AIDS (NiBUCCA) is a business sector effort to combat and ultimately eliminate HIV/AIDS in Nigeria. He was appointed co-chair of the organization in February 2017.