Former colleagues of tragic financier try to come to terms

Staff at GE Healthcare in Amersham were shocked to hear of the death of Kirk Stephenson, a 47 year old banker, who died just after 9am on Thursday last week near Taplow Station.

Mr Stephenson, chief operating officer of private equity firm Olivant, had held a senior financial role at Amersham PLC for several years in the 1990s until he left the firm in 1995. Since then the company has been taken over by GE Healthcare.

A spokesman for the company, whose head office is at Nightingales Lane, said this week: "We are very sorry to hear of the loss of a former colleague and our thoughts are with his family."
The dad of one is thought to have been under pressure from the credit crunch.

A source, quoted in The Sun, said: "I imagine like most high-flying bankers he will probably have lost a lot of cash."

Mr Stephenson threw himself in front of the 05:35 Plymouth to Paddington service. The train's driver applied emergency brakes but was unable to avoid hitting him, a spokesman said.
New Zealander Mr Stephenson, lived in Chelsea and is also reported to have owned a large property in the west country.

His family said in a statement that he was "a life enchancer -not a showy, life and sould of the party sort of charisma, but as a planner and co-ordinator who quietly and with no fuss ensured everyone around him had a marvellous time.
"A dedicated father and a devoted husband, he valued his family above all else. At the same time he had a gift for friendship and was a generous and exceptional host, gathering his wide circle arond him in summer villas all over Europe, as well as for parties, dinner and opera."