Ali Azhar is the Senior Director of Territory Sales for North America at MongoDB, overseeing the efforts of nine outside sales reps and two inside reps. He previously founded and sold several businesses, including an athletic apparel manufacturing company that failed in 2011. Azhar was born in Kabul, Afghanistan, and moved to the US as a refugee with his family. Before joining MongoDB, he had limited experience using the database but gained knowledge on the job. Now, he enjoys promoting talent within the company and working with its open-source community. Azhar values the culture at MongoDB, which supports innovation and kindness among employees. He finds it rewarding to work with talented individuals and receive positive feedback from clients. In his free time, he enjoys sparring, playing basketball, and staying stylish in cold weather.