Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede Turns 60, Reflects on Institutional Legacy

Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, who turns 60 today, emphasizes the importance of building enduring institutions over merely successful businesses. His significant career began in 2002 when he and the late Herbert Wigwe acquired Access Bank, then a small player in Nigeria's banking sector.

Aig-Imoukhuede became Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Access Bank, a position he held until 2013. The transformation of Access Bank is well-known, but Aig-Imoukhuede stresses that the key to this success was creating a culture, management capacity, and systems that could support growth beyond personal leadership.

In an August 2026 interview, he articulated that true institutions must continue to create value independently of their founders. His current venture, Coronation, aims to build an integrated African financial-services platform, reflecting his commitment to fostering sustainable financial ecosystems across the continent.