LEAP Africa, a leadership development firm, has expressed shocks over the sudden death of its distinguished board member, Mr. Seyi Bickersteth, who passed away on March 3, 2021.
A statement released by the Founder of LEAP Africa, Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli, noted that the deceased was a guru in African finance, accounting, tax, and governance and compliance landscape, emphasising that, “the organisation was honoured to have had Bickersteth as a member its Board of Directors in 2017, soon after his retirement, as the Chairman of KPMG West Africa.
“For over three years, Mr. Bickersteth served as a committed and devoted Board member. He was extremely passionate about mentoring young Nigerians and fully embraced LEAP’s commitment to raising the next generation of dynamic, innovative and principled young leaders who will transform Africa.
“Early in his tenure, the entire LEAP family was struck by his humility, kind and gentle demeanor, which endeared him to the organisation as a whole, especially the young team in their finance and accounts department.”
The statement noted that a few months into his tenure on the Board, Mr. Bickersteth was appointed to serve as the chairman of the Finance Committee. He applied his razor-sharp lens to guide the organisation through its budgeting and auditing process. He coached the team on the appropriate systems and controls for ensuring compliance, transparency and accountability. “He infused world-class standards of financial excellence as the organization effectively deployed funds from international partners such as the MasterCard Foundation and the Ford Foundation and expanded its work to six African countries.”