Draft:Sanjay Shah (Vistex)

Sanjay Shah (1968-2024) was an Indian tech businessman who was the founder, CEO, and Chief Architect of Vistex Inc, which was established in 1999. Sanjay completed his MBA at Lehigh University, 1989, when he was 21 years old. He started his professional journey at PwC and later worked at General Motors and then moved to Germany where he worked with SAP SE. Sanjay Shah noticed a gap in the enterprise resource planning (ERP) market. ERP was revolutionizing organizations in many ways, but there was no solution for pricing, trade management, royalties’ management and incentive programs, which so many companies relied on to generate revenue. Sanjay, who was the R&D (Research and Development) leader in the world of enterprise ERP, also noticed that this kind of solution was not on the roadmap of anyone else. So, he decided to build it. Two years later, Vistex first version of solutions was released. With a passion for lifelong learning and an appreciation of the importance of giving back, Sanjay founded the Vistex Foundation and the Vistex Institute for Executive Learning and Research at Lehigh University.

Shah died on 19 January 2024, due to an accident that happened at Ramoji Film City on the eve of company silver jubilee celebrations.

Career
Sanjay Shah grew up at Marine Drive in South Mumbai, where his parents are still living today. He completed his B.Com. from Sydenham college in 1988, and his CA at the same time. Sanjay then went to the United States to pursue his MBA from Lehigh University, where he completed his degree in 1989 at the age of twenty-one. His decision to pursue an MBA was influenced by his idol, Lee Iacocca. After graduation from Lehigh, Sanjay initially worked in accounting. He then worked for General Motors, and a German software company, SAP SE, before launching his own company, Vistex, Inc.

Shah was also a member of the College of Business and Economics Dean's Advisory Council at Lehigh. He was one of the early employees of SAP SE when it set up its US office in 1992. In February 1999. Sanjay Shah started Vistex Inc. along with few of his friends and brother Chirag Shah. With his bold vision and brilliant execution motto Sanjay managed to lead the company into a successful multinational company without any external investment. At present, Vistex Inc. is a worldwide operation with 20 offices, 1,500+ employees, and an impressive roster of clients, including Apple, Walmart, 3M, Turner, Dell, and Bayer.

Sanjay spent most of his career in the company success and international growth. Currently, the company has an annual revenue of more than $250 million. Shah described himself as "an accidental entrepreneur", In his first job for SAP SE, he became fluent in the German language in just three months and learned to code software in German as well. He was passionate in flying and he received his basic pilot license in 1999.

Personal life
Sanjay Shah was born to Dinesh and Nayana Shah, in south Mumbai. They lived at Marine drive, Mumbai. He was married to Hemali Shah and had two daughters Monica and Serena Shah. Sanjay Shah was a great philanthropist and founded Vistex Foundation, a private foundation launched in 2012 that partners with organizations to provide education and health services to communities in need. He also donated a sum of $5 million to Lehigh University and launched Vistex Institute for Executive Learning and Research. Sanjay Shah was popularly known for his purchase of Trump Tower in Chicago for a price of $17 million all paid in cash. He also had an estate in Chicago close to his office and had houses at this birthplace. Shah was an enthusiast of Hart Schaffner Marx Suits. He had an estimated asset value of $250 million which he acquired wholly from his company.

VKOM 2024 Incident
Background:In January 2024, to celebrate the company 25th anniversary, the company organized a two-day event, VKOM 2024, from 18 to 19 January 2024. The event was held at Ramoji Film City and was attended by employees from various offices across India.Incident:During the opening ceremony of VKOM 2024, a significant accident occurred involving Sanjay Shah, and Vishwanath Raju Datla, the company president. To make a dramatic entrance, Shah and Datla were positioned in an iron cage, which was suspended by ropes and operated by a crane. However, due to a technical malfunction, one of the ropes supporting the cage snapped, causing both on the cage to fall approximately 20 feet onto the concrete floor below. The impact of the fall resulted in both Shah and Datla losing consciousness. Initially, both individuals were immediately rushed to a local hospital, then they were transferred to a super-specialty hospital for further treatment. At the time of 12:04 AM on 19 January, Sanjay Shah succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead. He was 55 years old.Aftermath:An autopsy has been conducted at Osmania Hospital and a case has been registered at the abdullapurmet P.S against the event organizers and the investigation is underway.