Friends and work colleagues have paid tribute to a talented internet marketing guru and Sussex University graduate Jaamit Durrani.
Mr Durrani, who worked for Worth Digital Media, in Middle Street, Brighton, after he graduated, died instantly after being hit by a London Underground train.
The British Transport Police said that Mr Durrani’s death – on the Central Line at Tottenham Court Road tube station on Thursday afternoon – was not being treated as suspicious.
Mr Durrani, an Arsenal football fan, specialised in internet search engine optimisation (SEO) after graduating with a BA in English with development studies in 2003.
He had joined OMD, a London media agency, as its SEO director in May from Fresh Egg, the Worthing internet marketing agency.
Worth described Mr Durrani’s death as the “sad and tragic loss of a great former colleague”. He left in January last year.
Former colleague Adam Stafford, who worked with Mr Durrani at Fresh Egg, said: “He was an inspiration to everyone that he worked with and his reach went far beyond the office walls.
“He touched everyone within the search industry.
“He was a friendly, popular character who had an urge to help anyone he could.
“Our thoughts are with his wife, family, friends and new work colleagues.
“I have been reading all the comments posted on the internet today – I wish Jaamit could be around to witness just how popular and well liked he is.
“Life doesn’t always make sense and I can’t understand why this young man has been taken away.”
Peter Richards, another colleague at Fresh Egg, said: “I too, was privileged to work with him at Fresh Egg and indeed sat next to him.
“It goes without saying that he was peerless in his profession and gave me great encouragement at the start of my new-found career in SEO.
“But, more importantly, he was also a great human being and for that alone will be greatly missed.”
Mr Durrani had recently been described as one of the 30 most influential people in SEO and was a member of Wired Sussex, the Brighton-based organisation which supports digital businesses in the area.
Shocked and sad to hear about Jaamit’s death. He was a lovely, helpful and caring guy and a good Twitter mate.
So shocked to hear the news, didnt know him all that well but had the pleasure of working with him for a time.
we used to get the bus back from work together and argue about the football
rip bus buddy 🙂