In a Shocking news the CEO of Access Holdings Plc, Hebert Wigwe has died in a helicopter crash in California, sparking an outpouring of grief from the African business community.
Hebert, 57, his wife Dame Chizoba Wigwe, their senior son, and a close friend, Abimbola Ogunbanjo, were among the people killed when the aircraft came down in Niption, California. According to the NTSB, there were no survivors from the crash that happened on Friday.
Hebert, the co-founder of Nigeria’s biggest bank by assets, started his professional career with Coopers & Lybrand Associates, an international firm of Chartered Accountants. He spent over 10 years at Guaranty Trust Bank Plc, managing several portfolios, including financial institutions, large corporates and multinationals.
Here is a selection of photos looking back over his career.
Herbert Onyewumbu Wigwe was born on August 15, 1966 in Isiokpo, Port Harcourt, Rivers StateWigwe was happily married to Chizoba Wigwe, and the marriage is blessed with four children.In 1990, Wigwe won the British Council Scholarship to do his masters at North Wales University (now Bangor University). In 1991, he got his masters in Banking and Finance.In 2018, he received a Honorary Doctorate from his Alma Mater, University of Nigeria, NsukkaAigboje Aig-Imoukhuede (L) and Herbert Wigwe (R) – acquired Access Bank in 2002 and turned it into one of the biggest banking lenders in Nigeria, with subsidiaries across Africa, Europe and Asia.Ex-Group Managing Director Diamond Bank Uzoma Dozie and Herbert Wigwe posed for a photo at the Lagos City Marathon in 2019In October 2022, a Nigerian national honour of Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) was conferred on Hebert Wigwe by President Muhammadu Buhari.Photo of Herbert Wigwe, accepting the award of Top 25 CEO on the Nigerian Stock Exchange in 2018.In giving back to society, he built a $500 million eponymous university in his hometown in Rivers StateIn 2015, Nigerian newspaper The Punch described him as “one of Nigeria’s stylish top executives”Hebert is pictured with his wife Chizoba, who also died in the helicopter accidentIn 2018, Hebert celebrated Children’s Day with Makoko Slum2school KidsIn September 2023, Hebert posted this image on his LinkedIn with the caption: “Education is the great engine of personal development. It is through education that the daughter of a peasant can become a doctor, that the son of a mine worker can become the head of the mine, that a child of farm workers can become the president of a great nation. – Nelson Mandela”
