Sunjay Kapur’s passing leaves void at Sona Comstar as board moves to elect new chairman

Auto components major Sona Comstar said on Tuesday that it will convene soon to elect the chairman of its board after the untimely passing of Sunjay Kapur, its incumbent chairman and non-executive director, on 12th June.

It should be noted that none of Kapur’s children are currently expected to join Sona Comstar, with some news reports suggesting that Kapur’s sisters will step into their late brother’s shoes. Fortune India could not independently verify the claims made in the reports. 

The board had entrusted the day-to-day operations of the company to a professional management team, led by Vivek Vikram Singh, its Managing Director and CEO since 2019. “We have full faith in the management team’s ability to lead the company under the supervision of the board,” it said in a statement.

In its statement, the board also assured its customers, business partners, employees, and shareholders that it is business as usual at the company, and that “no changes in management are envisaged”. The board consists of, among others, Vivek Vikram Singh, Shradha Suri Marwah, the chairperson and managing director of Subros—and the current president of Automotive Components Manufacturers Association—and Manisha Girotra, the chief executive officer of Moelis in India.

Kapur, an accomplished polo player and a longtime friend of Prince William, the Prince of Wales and the heir to the British throne, passed away last week during a polo match in Windsor. Kapur was also married to Indian actress Karisma Kapoor between 2003 and 2016—when their divorce was finalised—and has two children from the marriage, a daughter and a son. 

While the exact circumstances that culminated in his untimely demise remain unknown, reports have emerged claiming that a bee sting on the mouth caused an anaphylactic shock, leading his heart to stop. Kapur was reportedly playing in the subsidiary final of the Queen's Cup when he collapsed.

According to The Telegraph, eyewitnesses at the match claim to have heard him saying, “I may have swallowed something.” Immediate medical attention could not resuscitate him, and he passed away soon after. However, a post-mortem is expected to confirm the exact cause of his death. 

Kapur took over the management of Sona Comstar from his father, Dr. Surinder Kapur—who founded the company in 1995—in 2015, after the latter passed away in Germany. Kapur was an alumnus of The Doon School and had a business degree from the University of Buckingham