Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede
Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 24, 1966 Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, banker, investor, philanthropist |
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Known for | Founder and chairman of Coronation Group Limited; former Group Managing Director and CEO of Access Bank Plc; former President of Nigerian Stock Exchange |
| Notable work | Leaving the Tarmac: Buying a Bank in Africa (2020) |
Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede FCIB, CFR (born 24 September 1966) is a prominent Nigerian entrepreneur, banker, investor, and philanthropist.
He previously held the position of group managing director (GMD) and CEO at Access Bank Plc. He is the founder and chairman of Coronation Group Limited along with its subsidiaries, Coronation Asset Management Ltd and Trium Ltd. In 2014, he launched the Africa Initiative for Governance (AIG). Additionally, he co-leads the UK-Nigeria Capital Market Task Force and sits on the board of TCX Investment Management Company in the Netherlands. He chairs the board of trustees for the Financial Market Dealers Association and formerly chaired Coronation Insurance Plc (formerly known as Wapic).
Aig-Imoukhuede also served as President of The Nigerian Stock Exchange (currently Nigerian Exchange Group), taking over from Aliko Dangote. He is the founding Chairman of the FMDQ OTC Exchange, chairs EnterpriseNGR, and co-founded Tengen Family Office. In March 2024, he resumed his role as chairman of Access Holdings following the passing of Herbert Wigwe.
Early life and education
Born on 24 September 1966 in Ibadan, Oyo State, Western Nigeria, Aig-Imoukhuede is the son of civil servants. His father, Frank Aig-Imoukhuede, and mother, Emily Aig-Imoukhuede (née Ihonde), a historian, raised four children. His family originates from Sabongida-Ora in Edo State, Southern Nigeria. Growing up in Lagos, he attended Federal Government College in Kaduna, Northern Nigeria. He started his primary schooling at St. Saviours School in Lagos before enrolling to study law at the University of Benin at age 16. He earned his LLB degree in 1986 at 19 years old and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1987.
Aig-Imoukhuede holds a Trium MBA awarded jointly by the London School of Economics, New York University, and HEC Paris. In 2000, he completed an Executive Management Programme lasting three months at Harvard Business School.
Career
Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede began his professional journey as a lawyer with Continental Merchant Bank during his NYSC year in 1988. He joined Guaranty Trust Bank Plc in December 1991 and left as executive director in March 2002. That same year, he spearheaded the acquisition of Access Bank, which was then a relatively small regional institution, and served as its group managing director and CEO until December 2013.
He stepped down as president of the Nigerian Stock Exchange in 2017 but continues to serve on its National Council as an ex-officio member. Between 2008 and June 2017, he was a non-executive director at Africa Finance Corporation. Since December 2011, he has held the position of chairman at Associated Discount House Limited. Additionally, he is a board member at Petralon Energy and retired as chairman of Wapic Insurance Plc, where he had been a director since November 2011.
Aig-Imoukhuede acted as board chairman and director of FMDQ OTC PLC until August 2014. In 2015, he established Coronation Capital Limited and has actively driven expansion within the Coronation Ecosystem. In October 2021, he collaborated with the Office of the Head of Nigerian Civil Service to implement digital transformation initiatives in public service delivery.
Achievements and awards
In recognition of his significant contributions to Nigeria's banking and financial sectors, he was honored with the prestigious Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) in 2011 by then-President Goodluck Jonathan. Earlier, in 2009, he earned the National Productivity Order of Merit Award. That same year marked his induction into the Ernst and Young World Entrepreneurs Hall of Fame as the Ernst & Young West Africa Entrepreneur of the Year. Later, in 2013, he was distinguished as “African Banker of the Year” by African Banker Magazine.
He holds membership in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and participates on the international advisory board for Oxford University's Blavatnik School of Government. Additionally, he is a fellow of the African Leadership Institute, which is linked to the Aspen Institute based in Colorado, USA, and has been granted honorary fellowship by the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria.
In 2018, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) degree from Olabisi Onabanjo University, located in Ogun State, Nigeria.
Philanthropy
As founder and chairman of the Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation, he leads efforts to enhance public service delivery and broaden access to quality primary healthcare. The Foundation partners with Oxford University’s Blavatnik School of Government to provide capacity-building programs for African public officials, including initiatives such as the AIG Scholarships for a Master of Public Policy degree and the AIG Public Leaders Programme—an executive education scheme tailored for senior government personnel across Africa. The Foundation also backs reform initiatives focusing on digital transformation, cultural shifts, and workforce management within public institutions.
He made history as the first African to serve as co-chairman of the Global Business Coalition on Health (GBC Health) and currently chairs Friends of the Global Fund – Africa (Friends Africa). In 2010, he pledged $1 million to the Global Fund and remains an active supporter through its 'Gift from Africa' campaign.
Presently, he leads ABCHealth—a regional non-profit formed by the Aliko Dangote Foundation and GBCHealth—as chairperson and holds a directorship at the Private Sector Health Alliance of Nigeria (PSHAN). In 2019, he initiated the Adopt-A-Healthcare-Facility Programme (ADHFP).
Serving as vice chairman of Global Citizen Nigeria, he collaborated with the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Fund (NSIA) to establish the Nigerian Solidarity Support Fund (NSSF).
Authorship
He authored Leaving the Tarmac: Buying a Bank in Africa (Red Door, 2020), a memoir recounting how he and Herbert Wigwe purchased Access Bank in 2002—then among Nigeria’s smallest and most challenged banks—and successfully transformed it into one of the nation’s largest and most robust financial institutions.
Personal life
Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede is married to Ofovwe Aig-Imoukhuede, with whom he has four children.