Access Holdings Plc has appointed Ifeyinwa Osime as chairman of the board of Access Bank Plc, its flagship banking subsidiary.
Gatekeepers News reports that her appointment follows the retirement of Paul Usoro, who stepped down on January 29 after completing his regulatory tenure limit.
The announcement was contained in a statement issued on Tuesday by Sunday Ekwochi, company secretary of Access Holdings.
Osime, a legal practitioner with extensive experience in corporate governance and strategic leadership, joined the board of Access Bank in November 2019 as an independent non-executive director.
“Prior to her recent appointment, she served as chairman of the board human resources and sustainability committee, as well as the board governance, nomination and remuneration committee, making significant contributions to governance, leadership development, and sustainability,” the statement said.
“She also served on several other board committees.”
The company noted that Osime is also a director at Ebudo Trust Limited and a partner at McPherson Legal Practitioners, where she advises on corporate and commercial legal matters and contributes to the firm’s leadership and strategic direction.
Her previous board experience includes serving as an independent non-executive director at Coronation Insurance Plc, board chairman of Coronation Life Insurance Company Ltd, and non-executive director at Bank PHB (now Keystone Bank Limited).
According to the statement, Osime began her career at the Nigeria Reinsurance Corporation and later joined African Development Insurance Company Limited (now NSIA Insurance) as company secretary and assistant general manager, administration and legal.
She is a law graduate of the University of Benin and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1987. She also holds a Master of Laws in Commercial and Corporate Law from the London School of Economics.
“She has attended executive education programmes at INSEAD, IMD, Harvard Business School, MIT, and Stanford, among others, reflecting her commitment to continuous professional development and global best practices,” the statement added.
Commenting on the appointment, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, group chairman of Access Holdings, described Osime as:
“a principled and experienced leader with a deep understanding of the bank’s strategy and values.”
He expressed confidence that under her leadership, Access Bank would continue to deliver sustainable value to shareholders and stakeholders in line with its vision of becoming the world’s most respected African bank.
Aig-Imoukhuede also congratulated Usoro on the completion of his tenure, praising his leadership and contributions to the group.
