Grief-stricken friends and colleagues of a popular company talent developer who died suddenly in Bahrain have rallied round to show support to her family in the UK. They also paid tribute to her and spoke of the positive impact she had on their lives.
Forty-five-year-old Bahrain-based resident Nicoletta ‘Nici’ Sroda Gikunoo, a Brit of Ghanaian heritage, suffered a fatal heart attack in the early hours of September 28. Her body has been flown back to the UK and a funeral service will be held tomorrow in East London.
“She had no previous health conditions and would work out around five-times-a-week, so it was an absolutely horrendous shock for everyone that knew her when she suffered a cardiac arrest,” said her friend Paul Richardson, a 58-year-old chief financial officer, who lives in Amwaj Islands.
“Nici was a truly unique, inspirational lady who gave 100 per cent to every aspect of her life, including her work, family, friends, fitness regime and social life.
“She was a middle sister of four and substantially supported the family financially. This was always one of her top priorities.
“I believe she possibly worked too hard to make sure her mum and her siblings were well taken care of. She loved Bahrain and I can honestly say, had this tragedy not struck, she would have been looking forward to staying in the kingdom for many years to come.
Ms Gikunoo’s ethos
“There is so much I will miss about her. She was a true ‘angel from heaven sent’. I will miss the golden glow that her personality and smile used to bring to everyone in her life – her caring, compassionate, loving happy-go-lucky attitude and the way she was always impeccably dressed and made up.
“I will miss her laughter and she was always ‘in’ for everything she was invited to; a truly sincere friend who was like a sister to me.”
Nici was a learning lead at EY, formerly known as Ernst & Young, a multi-national professional services network, at its Bahrain base.
When news of the tragedy was announced, colleagues flooded social media with messages of condolence.
Alya AlMulla, a MENA career development, performance and on-boarding lead assistant director, who used to work with Nicoletta, said on LinkedIn: “I lost a very close person to my heart. We didn’t only work together, we were good friends and we were sisters.
“We met two years ago when we both joined EY. Before even knowing me, she sent me messages to offer help and assistance. I thought it was sweet then, but the more I knew her, the more I thought this person can’t be human, she is a fairy angel.
“She’d always lend an ear, help and inspire others, push them to be the best they can be, celebrate their achievements and always put others first.
“She touched lives in indescribable ways, spreading her pixie dust all around us. Nici Gikunoo, you lifted me up when I was down (sometimes literally) and you’ve taught me and given me so much.
I don’t know who’s going to understand all ‘The Office’ references I make, who’s going to laugh at my silly jokes and who am I going to practise my British accent with?
“The one thing I know for sure is that I will always remember Nici with smiles, laughs and care.”
Nicoletta also touched hearts wherever she went, having captivated Bahrain-based singer, songwriter Deborah Jones after just one meeting during a gig.
“I rarely speak to people when I’m performing because I’m usually too busy worrying about my set list but I couldn’t help it – Nici and I really hit it off and she was just so genuine,” said Ms Jones, 31, from Seef. “I was struck not only by her beauty and charm on the outside, but also by her confidence. I’ll miss Nici’s pure and sincere aura, her generosity and courage. She was someone who gave me so much and inspired me to be my best.
“She was a woman who dared to be bold, strong and beautiful without losing her humility or compromising on her values. I would love women everywhere to be inspired by her example; that nothing has to hold you back.”
Family and friends from far and wide will be flying to the UK for the funeral service. According to Mr Richardson, in Ghanaian heritage, funerals are like fully blown celebrations of life.
“Family and friends will be dressed in special traditional Ghanaian black and white patterned clothing,” he explained. “It will be a huge event as the family, extended family and many, many friends will be attending. There will be a church service followed by a cremation and Celebration of Life reception. It will be a whole day event with a huge number of people in attendance.”
To make Nici’s send off a celebration unlike any other, her London friends set up a GoFundMe page to collect donations towards the funeral reception.
“So far £7,705 has been donated but her friends in London have set a goal of £10,000,” added Mr Richardson.
For more details visit https://gofund.me/a6f33f09.
mai.alkhatib@gulfweekly.com
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