He was never the loudest in the room. But he always stayed.
Long before Saurabh Kerkar led complex ERP rollouts, he was standing on people’s doorsteps in the scorching heat of Mumbai, asking for donations. It was his first job in India—door-to-door charity work—and it built him for the future and taught him something that would shape the rest of his journey: Humility. Resilience against rejection. Perseverance. And a never-back-down attitude.
600 Job Applications. 599 Rejections.
Saurabh completed his graduation in 2008 with high hopes. What he didn’t expect was the deep silence that followed every job application he sent. “I’d just finished my bachelor’s degree. I applied for countless jobs over two years, and not a single one turned into an interview.”
It was disheartening. But it wasn’t defeat. He knocked on doors for hours each day and quietly rebuilt his mindset—and his confidence.
“I told myself, I’m not going to give up. I have nothing to lose! I’ll just give 100% every single day.”
That was the beginning of everything.
The Silent Anchor in Times of Chaos
When Saurabh finally broke into tech consulting, he didn’t show up with swagger. He showed up with steadiness. Clients began to notice the calm he brought to chaos: the way he listened without rushing to fix, the way he broke down complex change into manageable, pragmatic steps, and the way he worked tirelessly until problems were resolved.
“I think that’s my strength,” he shares. “I love to face challenges, provide sustainable solutions, build and work with highly motivated teams, and make people feel seen and safe, especially in ERP transformations where there is certainty in uncertainty.”
He credits his work ethic to his upbringing. Raised in a working-class home in India, Saurabh saw firsthand how hard his parents worked with dignity. He carried that with him. It’s why, even as he climbed the ranks, he never lost the habit of asking, How can I do better?
The Race That Inspired a Rhythm
Outside of work, Saurabh is a die-hard Formula One fan. But it’s not just the speed that draws him in; it’s the orchestration.
“Every turn is a challenge, every second is pivotal, and driving on the track while making split-second decisions is an art only a few can possess.”
And then he adds, “But races are never won because of the driver alone. There are hundreds of people working behind the scenes—designers, strategists, engineers, pit crew—each playing their part as a well-oiled machine. That’s how I see my work in ERP, too. There’s no one hero. We are part of a passionate team, working and sticking together through the ups and downs, delivering to expectations.”
He wears this mindset like a quiet uniform: show up, do your job with integrity, remove roadblocks through a pragmatic approach, and enable people to do their best, day in, day out.
Not Chasing the Podium
Saurabh doesn’t measure success in promotions or awards. He measures it in the trust he earns, the calm he brings, and the problems that no longer feel overwhelming to his teams.
“Success is just a byproduct. What matters is that I keep showing up. That I stay true to who I am, even when it is easier to give up.”
What We See Now Is Just the Surface
We see a Program Manager. A leader. A systems thinker. What we don’t see are the 599 unanswered applications. The quiet evenings spent wondering if he’d made a mistake choosing to pursue a career in IT. The decision to keep showing up—not because someone was watching, but because he believed in himself.
That’s Saurabh Kerkar. The Quiet Fighter.
Connect with Saurabh on LinkedIn
