Access Bank Appoints Ifeyinwa Osime as Board Chairman

Access Bank Plc has appointed Mrs. Ifeyinwa Osime as the new Chairman of its Board of Directors, following the retirement of Mr. Paul Usoro, SAN, who stepped down on January 29, 2026 after completing his regulatory tenure limit.
The appointment was announced by Access Holdings Plc, the parent company of the bank and takes immediate effect.
Mrs. Osime, a seasoned legal practitioner and corporate governance expert, joined the Board of Access Bank in November 2019 as an Independent Non-Executive Director. Until her appointment as Chairman, she served as Chairman of the Board Human Resources and Sustainability Committee, as well as the Board Governance, Nomination and Remuneration Committee, where she played a key role in strengthening leadership development, governance standards and sustainability initiatives within the bank.
She has also served on several other board committees and brings extensive boardroom experience from both the financial services and insurance sectors. Her previous roles include 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.
Beyond Access Bank, Mrs. Osime is 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 strategic leadership.
Mrs. Osime began her professional career at the Nigeria Reinsurance Corporation before joining African Development Insurance Company Limited (now NSIA Insurance) as Company Secretary and Assistant General Manager, Administration and Legal.
An alumna of the University of Benin, she was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1987 and holds a Master of Laws in Commercial and Corporate Law from the London School of Economics. She has also attended executive education programmes at leading global institutions including INSEAD, IMD, Harvard Business School, MIT and Stanford.
She is a member of the Nigerian Bar Association, Women Corporate Directors (Nigeria Chapter) and the Chartered Institute of Directors Nigeria, where she serves on the Executive Committee of the Women Sectoral Group. She is also actively involved in mentoring young people and supporting initiatives focused on autism and developmental delays.
Commenting on the appointment, Group Chairman of Access Holdings Plc, Mr. Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, described Mrs. Osime as a principled and experienced leader with a strong understanding of the bank’s strategy and values.
“Under her leadership, the Bank will continue to advance its strategic objectives of delivering sustainable value to shareholders and other stakeholders, in pursuit of its vision to become the world’s most respected African bank,” he said.
Mr. Aig-Imoukhuede also commended the outgoing Chairman, Mr. Paul Usoro, SAN, for his exemplary leadership and contributions to the group, wishing him success in his future endeavours while noting that he remains a valued member of the Access family.