Dinesha Victor, a local entrepreneur and co-founder of the Curl Fête Guyana Natural Hair and Beauty Expo, has died.
The 31-year-old passed suddenly yesterday after being rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital by relatives.
Victor, who owned, KoKo, a natural hair store on Robb Street, has been praised as one of Guyana’s most innovative small business owners.
On her LinkedIn page, she described herself as an award-winning entrepreneur, community worker, teacher, and a fraud investigator.
A graduate of St. Joseph High School, the University of Guyana and the University of the West Indies, Victor held a Masters of Business Administration with a concentration in innovation and entrepreneurship.
KoKo, her own business venture, was launched in 2016 as a “labour of love.” Victor had described this project as more than a hair product store; it was, she told Stabroek News in 2017, “a platform to teach women self-love and acceptance.”
In October 2017, Victor and KoKo were declared the winner of the Scotiabank Vision Achievers live pitch business competition and rewarded with $500,000.
Along with her childhood friend, Forensic Scientist and former Miss Guyana Tamika Henry-Fraser, Victor was also the co-founder of Curl Fête Guyana, a successful annual natural hair exposition that promotes a nurturing environment for women and men to embrace their natural hair, and to boost entrepreneurship.
Henry-Fraser when contacted told this newspaper that the loss was just too much to allow her to comment. Several relatives and friends of the young lady were similarly distraught but many took to social media to praise her as a kind and dedicated individual.
The Rotary Club of Georgetown Central in a public tribute noted that Victor was a brilliant and passionate soul who served humanity with love, and nobility, the epiphany of “service above self”!
“We are all in a state of shock! We wish to extend our deepest condolences to the entire family, loved ones, friends, and colleagues, our love and prayers are with you all,” it said.
