Access Bank Plc has strengthened its senior management team with the appointment of Mr. Ifedayo Olaniyi Orimoloye as Executive Director, Risk Management, effective September 21, 2026.
The appointment, which has received regulatory approval from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), was announced by Access Holdings Plc in a statement signed by its Group Company Secretary, Sunday Ekwochi.
Orimoloye’s appointment comes as the banking group continues to expand its operations across several markets while placing greater emphasis on risk governance, regulatory compliance and sustainable value creation.
According to Access Holdings, the appointment is consistent with the group’s commitment to maintaining strong corporate governance and robust risk management structures as it implements its long-term growth and transformation strategy.
“Access Holdings Plc is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Ifedayo Olaniyi Orimoloye as Executive Director, Risk Management of its flagship subsidiary, Access Bank Plc, following the approval of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN),” the statement read.
The group said Orimoloye would bring extensive international risk management experience to the bank and contribute to the further strengthening of its risk governance framework.
Extensive international experience
Orimoloye joins Access Bank with more than 25 years of experience in risk management and financial services across Africa, Europe and the United States.
Before his appointment, he served as Group Chief Risk Officer of the African Development Bank (AfDB), where he was responsible for a risk portfolio valued at more than $40 billion.
During his time at the AfDB, Orimoloye was involved in maintaining the institution’s risk management framework and contributed to the bank’s retention of its AAA credit ratings from major international rating agencies, including Moody’s, S&P Global Ratings and Fitch Ratings.
He also participated in major capital market and securitisation transactions during his tenure, including initiatives aimed at expanding financing for renewable energy projects across Africa.
His professional career has also included senior positions at Sterling Bank Plc, Ecobank Transnational Incorporated, Wells Fargo Bank, HSBC and Citigroup.
Across these institutions, he has handled responsibilities covering enterprise risk management, governance, portfolio management and strategic transformation in different jurisdictions.
Orimoloye holds dual bachelor’s degrees in Economics and Finance and an MBA in Finance from California State University, Hayward.
Chairman welcomes appointment
Group Chairman of Access Holdings Plc, Mr. Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, CFR, described the new executive director as an experienced risk management professional whose international exposure would be valuable to Access Bank.
“Mr. Orimoloye brings strong global risk management experience and strategic leadership to the Board of Access Bank Plc. His appointment will further strengthen the Bank’s risk governance and support its scale-to-value focus. We are pleased to welcome him and look forward to his contributions to the Group’s long-term value creation agenda,” he said.
The appointment forms part of broader efforts by Access Holdings to strengthen its leadership capacity and align its human capital strategy with the group’s expansion and long-term objectives.
Share ownership scheme
The development also comes against the backdrop of other recent initiatives by Access Holdings aimed at strengthening employee alignment with the group’s performance and shareholder interests.
In July, the group vested more than 200 million shares in 77 employees across Access Holdings and its subsidiaries under an employee share ownership scheme.
The scheme was designed to reward performance and give employees a greater stake in the long-term growth and performance of the group.
Former Executive Director, Business Support, Bolaji Agbede, emerged as the largest beneficiary, receiving 15.09 million shares. Other senior executives across the group also received substantial allocations under the programme.
The appointment follows a period in which Access Bank has also had to address misinformation circulating on social media about its operations.
The bank recently dismissed viral claims suggesting that it was shutting down its operations, describing the reports as false and misleading.
Access Bank reassured customers and other stakeholders that its operations remained stable and unaffected.
The lender also warned that it would pursue legal action against individuals responsible for spreading misinformation capable of undermining public confidence in the institution.
With Orimoloye assuming responsibility for risk management from September 21, the bank is expected to continue strengthening its risk governance architecture as Access Holdings pursues its expansion across multiple markets.