Indian American CEO Sanjay Shah Dies in Freak Accident at Company’s Silver Jubilee in Hyderabad

Sanjay Shah, founder and CEO of the Illinois-based revenue management company Vistex Asia, died on on Jan. 19 in an accident at the company’s 25th-anniversary celebrations in Hyderabad. The freak incident occurred when an iron cage contraption, carrying Shah and company president Vishwanath Raju Datla, collapsed during the stunt. 

Shah sustained injuries to his leg and hand, while Datla suffered a severe head injury. Both men were rushed to the hospital where Shah succumbed to his injuries. Datla remains in a serious condition, according to news reports. 

A video of the incident shows Shah and Datla inside the metal cage. As fireworks shoot from the stage amid audience applause, the cable snaps, and the structure gives way, sending the men tumbling to the ground. A case has since been registered against the event management authorities.

Shah grew up in Mumbai and came to the U.S. at 21 in 1989 to pursue his MBA at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania. He worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers and General Motors before moving to Germany to work for the software giant SAP. After leaving SAP, Sanjay Shah founded Vistex, “guiding the company to unparalleled year-over-year growth for two decades without any external funding, according to his company profile. Vistex Asia helps global titans such as Apple, Walmart, 3M, Viacom, Intel, and Bayer improve revenue and margins. 

A self-made businessman, Shah established the Vistex Foundation, supporting health and education nonprofits. He donated $5 million to Lehigh University for the Vistex Institute for Executive Learning and Research, mentioned on the University page. In 2020, the Vistex Hospital in Bihar began serving the community with primary and secondary care. It was recognized as a national model Covid-19 facility. The hospital is expanding, adding two new floors to enhance its facilities and contribute to community well-being.