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It has taken me a while to know where to start when I think about all of the memories we have shared! To be honest we were lucky that we hit it off straight away considering that within a week of meeting in July 2010 we were spending more time with each other than anyone else! Between the 2 hour round trip from Dubai to Abu Dhabi every day and the fact that once we did get to the office we sat alongside each other, we had plenty of time to cement our treasured friendship. During those car trips I would sit in anticipation never knowing what random playlist you were going to play! We would spend those couple of hours every day sharing stories, talking about our families, chatting about the latest head-scratching episode of Lost, singing songs and most importantly trying to win competitions on the radio and get our requests played. In one of our last car trips back to Dubai after a long day at work the radio finally played our request and that sunny afternoon we laughed and sang in the car all the way home. That was just the start. Since then we have created beautiful memories that I will cherish many of which involved music from singing along with Take That in Media City in Oct 2015 to laughing until I was sore when we realised that we both could rap Gangsters Paradise from start to finish :). Our final dinner together last Christmas meant so much to me and the kids always loved when their Auntie Samaa was coming to visit – even Len enjoyed the slagging you would give him for being a Liverpool fan, although he did this best to revel in their success the last time we all met :) I have watched you with enormous pride as you have worked with such determination and passion while you purposefully carved out an incredible career and I have loved you for taking so many people on the journey with you. You always have time for others, you have always given such strength to others even when you should have been using all of your strength for yourself. Thank you for being the most incredible friend and mentor. You have always encouraged me to push myself, you were never happy with good enough, you wanted more for me than I wanted for myself. Len, the kids and I will continue to think of you every day and we will talk about you and the memories that we will cherish. In that way you will stay with us always. Love, Linda xxx
I’ll never forget the day I met Samaa. What was supposed to be a 15 min. coffee chat turned out to be more than an hour of sharing personal experiences. We connected instantly. Her humor and her authenticity, the way she expressed herself made me feel as if we were close friends, even though we had just met. I was truly happy when I learnt she was joining the group team, and though unfortunately we didn’t work together for a long time, I will never forget the time we shared; I will always miss her.
This is a photograph taken by the team at Unicorn. They caught Samaa as she took a break from a training program to take some pictures.
When I got to know Samaa some 5 years ago she immediately made a strong impression on me, not only due to her winning smile, her enormous energy and passion, but also her great commitment, listening capacity and intellect. It has always been a pleasure to be in her company. It is thus with great sadness that I learnt from her passing away. It is very difficult to understand her leaving at this young age. The German poet Albert Schweitzer once said: “The only thing important in Life Are the traces of love That we leave When we leave." I am very sure that Samaa left lots of traces of love. I would like to pass on my deep-felt condolences to her family and friends wishing lots of strength, compassion and support. Wilm Langenbach
I will always remember Samaa. Her positive drive and her constant search for new ideas made an impression on all. We shared many executive committee meetings where I could see her desire to improve things. She was clever and dynamic. She was also a great photographer. She was so full of life that it is hard to believe now that she is gone. I know how courageous she was in her last years. I wish to send my deepest condolences and thoughts to her friends and family. May they take comfort in the beautiful memories that she has left.
First handshake I had with Samaa (and the only one!), I knew this was going to be some epic ride! She immediately gave me the impression of a strong, passionate, empathetic leader and I quickly discovered she was indeed all of that. I was impressed by her strong convictions, her courage to defend them and learned a lot from her because of her natural mentoring leadership. When it came to her team, there again, she was quite the advocate! I also quickly learned that this super corporate Rockstar, amazing negotiator was also a bird watching geek, had a passion for her sweet nephew (whose picture was always her phone screen), and a fantastic sense of humor. Personally, that’s what I will remember: her beautiful smile and laugh, just like in the picture. The last memory I have with Samaa is the one of a joyful and sunny day with her beautiful family in Oman a few months ago. It was such a fun moment not worrying about work. Nonetheless, she couldn’t resist bringing all of us around the table to brainstorm on… Global Pulse questions! That’s the kind of passion and commitment she brought to AXA Group in Paris, while a part of her heart also remained with her team in Dubai. Hey Samaa, I know you are keeping an eye on us and probably making all kinds of jokes. Us too will be keeping you very close to our hearts. Thank you for everything, you know I am very grateful, I’ll miss you. Laura
When I meet Samaa her open smile creates immediately a feeling of welcoming and trust. Her courage and full alignment with her beliefs were present in everything she did, proposed and lived. Her light will be with us inspiring our action! Mafe Sanz
I had the joy of knowing Samaa over a number of years. We first met at the corporate meeting in South Africa and we immediately clicked. I loved her sense of humour, grounded approach and her honesty and integrity. We also spent a few days together last year at the leadership development pilot in the French forest. She was my peer buddy and we subsequently spoke and texted regularly - right up to her last weeks. Samaa was caring, compassionate, feisty, challenging, funny and insightful all at the same time. Most of all, she had phenomenal courage- she was a truly amazing lady. I am heartbroken that Samaa is no longer with us. My deepest condolences to her family - she is a great loss and I will miss her. May she rest in peace and she will live on in my memory. ❤️❤️ Samaa. Lucinda xx
I never met Samaa, we only had a few phone calls, that was all that was needed for me to understand her magic and what a change maker she was. A true inspiration to all of us, with a relentless passion for doing the right thing. She left an indelible impression on me that I cannot explain but it there. Gordon, Hong Kong.
When I met Samaa, I had a friendship "coup de coeur". I met Samaa during a corporate meeting and then started to build a relationship at work and in personal life. We discovered we were both passionnate about marketing and by giving it the right place in AXA's organization! I discovered her passion for photography and for birds. She became a true friend who I was lucky enough to visit in December 2018 in Oman. We spent a whole evening together and with her parents in Muscat. This picture has been taken in the garden with one of my kids who does not speak English but who played with her and loved the home made chocolate so much! Samaa, you were someone we can't forget, you had this unique smile that was lighting up the room. I will miss you so much. Your name means "sky", I hope you will get some rest there, you deserve it my dear friend.
This photograph makes me smile because it was the first time Samaa met my children and they found her enchanting as she had fun with them, as did my parents when they met her and were fascinated by her life story, as did my boyfriend as they played computer games together because they did not share a common language. When I met Samaa I thought we had a connection because we grew up in a similar time and place and shared many cultural and social references. What I realise now from hearing from so many people who loved spending time with her too is that her soul was so big, her interests so varied and her heart so warm that she charmed everyone. I know I am surrounded by people that will miss her dearly. I will take her back to Manchester with me every time I visit. Miss you our kid.
Amanda Vaughan
Amanda Vaughan
It's taken me some time to write this as I was struggling to know what to say. Samaa was an amazing person, able to fill the room with light and energy and with a wicked sense of humour! it was so much fun and so inspiring to work with Samaa. She was a truly great friend - super supportive of others and always cheerful, even when things were very tough for her. I met her several years ago (we had a very close mutual friend) and then in the past year we had the opportunity to work closely together at the Group, which was such a pleasure. Samaa, you will be always remembered, always missed. Rest peacefully, dear Samaa.
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