Our Board members have significant experience of working in the banking and financial services industries, each bringing with them a unique set of skills to ensure strong governance which supports our moderate appetite for risk and enables us to deliver high levels of customer service.
Chairman and Independent Non-Executive Director
David Charters was appointed Independent Non-Executive Director at The Access Bank UK Ltd in March 2019 and was approved as Chairman of the Board in May 2024. His experience of leadership and advisory roles in finance, security/intelligence and legal services comes from previous roles in the public and private sectors, including as a Director of SG Warburg Securities, Managing Director of Deutsche Bank and Chairman of the capital markets think tank New Financial.
He graduated with first-class honours in Modern and Medieval Languages, Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge.
Senior Independent Non-Executive Director
Heather McLaughlin was appointed Independent Non-Executive Director at The Access Bank UK Ltd in November 2022.
Heather is Emeritus Professor of Management and International Transport at De Montfort University and former Pro Vice Chancellor and Dean of the Faculty of Business and Law. She has held a number of senior leadership positions in universities over a 30-year career in Higher Education and is now engaged in non-executive and consultancy work.
Heather has degrees in economics and in finance, and her PhD focused on exchange rate risk. She has published extensively in a range of international academic journals, as well as reports for a number of global organisations. A Specialist Advisor to the House of Commons Select Committee for Transport, she has been invited onto numerous expert and advisory panels worldwide. She is a currently on the editorial board of ‘Research in Transportation Business and Management’ and ‘Maritime Policy and Management’ of which she was editor-in-chief for 10 years.
Heather is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Accountants in England and Wales, Chartered Management Institute, and Chartered Association of Business Schools.
Independent Non-Executive Director
Independent Non-Executive Director Sandra Quinn was appointed to the role at The Access Bank UK Ltd in November 2023.
She has a well established career in both financial services and non-financial services and is an experienced business leader, consultant and former regulator who has held various roles working with boards and senior executives across financial services, regulation, online businesses, consumer facing businesses, government and non financial services during her 38-year career.
Sandra has moved from a consulting and informal non-executive portfolio into more formal non-executive Board roles.
She holds a BA (Hons) degree in Law and as a Barrister was called to the Bar in 1985.
Non-Executive Director
Roosevelt Ogbonna was appointed as the Access Bank Plc Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer in May 2022. Prior to this, he was appointed as the Bank’s Deputy Managing Director in 2017 and Executive Director in 2013.
He has a wealth of experience in the banking industry, spanning the various areas of treasury, commercial, corporate and investment banking. Before joining Access Bank Plc in 2002, he managed the largest business team in the Institutional Banking Group of Guaranty Trust Bank Plc.
He holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the Institute of Management Development (IMD), an Executive Master’s degree in Business Administration from Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business and a B.Sc. in Banking and Finance from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria and sits on the Board of Africa Finance Corporation and Central Securities Clearing System Plc.
He is an alumnus of the Harvard Business School (HBS) and the Institute of Management Development (IMD).
Non-Executive Director
Gregory Ovie Jobome was appointed Non-Executive Director at The Access Bank UK Ltd in November 2022.
Gregory is a banking and finance professional with almost thirty years’ experience spanning banking and academia. He is currently Executive Director and Executive Compliance Officer at Access Bank Plc, where he has led the group enterprise wide risk management function since 2010. Prior to joining Access Bank he previously worked at Guaranty Trust Bank in financial control and treasury, and subsequently as a risk management consultant with the same bank; he was also a researcher in financial services fraud and operational risk at the University of Manchester and a lecturer in finance and corporate governance at the University of Liverpool.
His work has spanned risk management, financial control, corporate governance and sustainable finance. Gregory holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics, with First Class Honours, from University of Maiduguri; a Master’s in Business Administration, with Distinction, from Obafemi Awolowo University; a Master of Science in Economics and Finance from Loughborough University; and a Doctor of Philosophy in Financial System Development and Economic Growth from Loughborough University. He also holds several professional certifications in risk management including Certified Risk Specialist; Certified Operational Risk Professional; Certified Risk Manager ISO/IEC 31000 and Certified Risk Manager.
Chief Executive Officer / Managing Director
Jamie Simmonds was appointed founding CEO/MD in January 2008. He is an alumnus of Harvard Business School Executive Management Programme, an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Bankers, a member of the Association of Foreign Bankers and a certified financial adviser.
He has a wealth of financial services experience, having held several director roles at National Westminster, Coutts, Royal Bank of Scotland, Gerrards and Close Brothers. He has a proven track record in the start-up and turnaround of financial service businesses, delivering sustainable benefits for all stakeholders. He has extensive knowledge of corporate, retail and private banking.
Finance Director
Finance Director David Plant initially joined the Bank as Deputy Finance Director in October 2021.
He has spent the last 15 years in small and mid-sized banking groups initially in financial planning and analysis roles supporting pricing, business analytics, new product development and strategic planning. He has further experience in mergers and acquisitions activity and the establishment of start-up banks from greenfield sites, having expanded his responsibilities to include the management of financial control and regulatory reporting activities.
David joined the Bank with previous experience of executive leadership and board membership. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of New South Wales, Australia, and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.
The Access Bank UK Limited is registered in England & Wales, Company Number 06365062. Registered Office: 4 Royal Court, Gadbrook Way, Gadbrook Park, Northwich, Cheshire, CW9 7UT. Authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority. FCA & PRA Registration Number 478415.
