Obituary: Publicis Beehive's Sanjit Shastri passes away

Sanjit Shastri, erstwhile CEO, Publicis Beehive, passed away Thursday morning.

Publicis Communications India has sent the following press statement:

Publicis Communications India mourns the sudden and tragic demise of Sanjit Shastri, CEO of Publicis Beehive. He was 53 years old. Shastri suffered a massive cardiac arrest at his home in Mumbai and passed away early on Thursday morning.

Shastri set up Beehive Communications, a full-service integrated service agency, in 2003. He was the agency's CEO since inception, and continued in the same capacity even after its takeover by the Publicis Groupe in 2013. Before Beehive, he was the President at Concept Communications, helping the business soar under his leadership.

Mourning Shastri's demise, Saurabh Varma, chief executive officer at Publicis Communications, India, said, "Publicis Beehive was Sanjit's life's work. He leaves behind an incredible legacy. Publicis Beehive is arguably the finest integrated agency serving Indian entrepreneurs. We will miss his passion, his incredible focus, and his belief in always being client-centric."

Colleagues and employees across Publicis Communications and Publicis Beehive fondly remember him as an astute advertising veteran, with unparalleled passion and drive for growth. He was a mentor to most and the source of extreme positivity to several others. In his industrious career, he has helped build several iconic brands in India including Malaysia Tourism, Star Cruises, FabIndia, RummyCircle.com, among many more.

Expressing her deepest condolences and grief, Shyamashree D'Mello, executive creative director at Publicis Beehive and a close colleague of Shastri's for the last 15 years said, "I remember Sanjit as someone with infectious passion and an almost surreal thirst for knowledge. There was a lot to learn from him – as a mentor, colleague, friend and a boss, not just for me but for everyone who had the good fortune to know him. I can't express my loss in words, but I do know that there will never be anyone like him."

Shastri is survived by his wife and daughter.