From a small town to Global SAP Champion – A Journey of resilience, learning & leadership.
First time I saw Kunal, when we were conducting tests for new recruits for the R&D Society of
our college. A diligent boy, sitting in a corner of the classroom was solving a few coding
problems we had assigned. One of my friends conducted his interview, and we onboarded him as
a Project Engineer in our Research and Development society.
After college, Kunal joined SAP. Just as he began to achieve financial independence and
established his professional career, a personal loss confined him to room for many months.
Whenever I reached out to comfort him with my words, I found myself more worried about
what the future had in store for him. From this lowest point to becoming a prominent voice in
the SAP community, an SAP Global Champion, and earning so many professional accolades in
the next few years, his journey has been truly inspiring.
Allow me to introduce Kunal Bansal, our SAP Maestro, recognized SAP Global Champion and a
Solution Architect with over 12 years of experience.
Gaurav Raj: Welcome Kunal to our Blog!! Tell us about your childhood?
Kunal Bansal: Thank You!! I was born and brought up in a very small town in Jharkhand. In a
family of five, with very little income from my father, our childhood wasn’t easy. Meeting the
regular expenses for education was also a tricky situation. Fortunately, my Granduncle
(grandfather) took the responsibility of covering my education expenses till my graduation.
Gaurav Raj: Tell us about initial schooling days?
Kunal Bansal: I completed my 10th from SVM Lohardaga as the district rank holder. Later, I
secured the top state-rank in my 12th exams from St. Xavier’s College, Ranchi.
Gaurav Raj: Why didn’t you pursue career in Engineering?
Kunal Bansal: I dreamed of becoming an Aeronautical engineer. I achieved a very good rank
(~125), in one of the State Engineering examinations. However, I faced financial struggle for my
education expenses. Due to lack of funds for counseling, I was unable to join Engineering.
Subsequently, my next interest had always been computers since childhood, so I went on to
pursue Computer Science from BIT Mesra, Ranchi.
Gaurav Raj: How you started your journey at SAP company?
Kunal Bansal: While completing my bachelor’s degree, a senior from my R&D group who was
working at SAP referred me for a test conducted by the company. I gave it a shot and was
thrilled to be selected – one among just 40 candidates across India. That’s how my journey with
SAP began. Additionally, I was given the opportunity to join the prestigious Scholar@SAP
Program, which gave me the opportunity to pursue my M.Tech from BITS Pilani while working.
Gaurav Raj: When you were at SAP, you had a personal loss. Do you want to talk about it?
Kunal Bansal: I spent a few years at SAP, completed my M.Tech from BITS Pilani, and had
achieved a bit of stability, both in my career and financially. After many years of hard work, it
seemed like it was finally time to enjoy the fruits of my labor with my family. However, on my
very birthday, I lost my mother (Silence). Before I could fully collect myself, within three weeks, I
also lost my granduncle, who took care of me like his own grandson. Losing two such important
people within weeks of each other confined me to my room for the next few months. (Long
Silence).
Gaurav Raj: How you overcome this personal setback? How you collected yourself?
Kunal Bansal: For months, as I confined myself, I asked myself, ‘What would both of them have
wanted me to do?’ Would they have wanted me to remain in this state of grief, or to pursue the
career growth they always wished for me? Once I convinced myself of the latter option, there
was no looking back!
Gaurav Raj: What was the highest point in your Career and why you left SAP? Tell us your
success story.
Kunal Bansal: Very soon then, I got opportunity from SAP to attend a conference in SAP Canada
and Germany, and since then, there has been no looking back professionally. I went on to
globally guiding many teams across our unit and provided guidance on their SAP applications &
architecture. Thanks to my contributions during my tenure and active involvement in the SAP
Community, I was honored to be nominated as an SAP Champion by SAP Germany. Among ~70
SAP Champions worldwide, I was fortunate to be among the youngest at the time. Eventually, I
decided to leave SAP to widen my horizons and pursue my interest in customer-facing roles and
challenges.
Gaurav Raj: Tell us about experience with SAP Community?
Kunal Bansal: I have answered over 1500 + SAP-related Q&A on community and have been
widely recognized for my contributions as thought leader in industry. Additionally, I am regularly
invited to community meets, live sessions, and conferences to participate in various initiatives
organized by SAP.
Gaurav Raj: What is the scope of learning SAP as skill?
Kunal Bansal: SAP technology is widely used for enterprise solutions, and with the widespread
adoption of SAP with Cloud, its scope has expanded even further. Anyone who wishes to learn
SAP skills should start with the basics. Once the basics are clear, individuals should explore the
modules in which they want to build their career. After gaining clarity on the SAP module they
want to pursue, they should engage in projects and seek certifications in that specific module.
Gaurav Raj: Tell us about your role at IBM?
Kunal Bansal: At IBM, I work as an Advisory Architect, where I lead multiple topics and SAP
Implementation team as the Solution Architect. Additionally, I am involved in mentoring,
coaching, and career counseling multiple colleagues in the SAP domain across the globe.
Gaurav Raj: Thanks, Kunal, for sharing your inspiring story with us!!
Kunal Bansal: Thank You!!
Narrator: At a very young age, Kunal has achieved through his hard work what many people
dream of. One key takeaway for Kunal’s success is his ability to clearly think about his future
goals and his sheer zeal to consistently excel in the SAP domain. Wishing him the best of luck in
all his future endeavors!
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