MongoDB Names Cloudflare Executive Chirantan Desai as New CEO

Database software provider MongoDB Inc. has appointed Chirantan Desai, currently head of product and engineering at Cloudflare, as its new chief executive officer, effective November 10, marking the company’s first leadership change in more than a decade.

Desai will succeed Dev Ittycheria, who is stepping down after serving as MongoDB’s president and CEO for over 11 years. Ittycheria, who led the company through its 2017 public listing and its transformation from an open-source database project into a major enterprise software player, will continue to serve on the board of directors and act as a strategic adviser during the transition, the company said in a statement on Monday.

The move follows what MongoDB described as an “extensive and comprehensive CEO search” conducted with the support of an external executive-recruitment firm. The leadership shift comes at a time when MongoDB is experiencing strong momentum across its cloud database platform, Atlas, which has become a major growth driver and the centerpiece of its strategy to compete in the modern data infrastructure market.

Desai, a 25-year veteran of the technology industry, brings a deep background in enterprise software and cloud innovation. Prior to his tenure at Cloudflare, where he led product and engineering operations, Desai held senior leadership roles at ServiceNow, EMC, Symantec, and Oracle. At ServiceNow, he was instrumental in expanding the company’s enterprise automation offerings, while at EMC and Symantec, he helped scale data-management and security portfolios serving global customers. His appointment underscores MongoDB’s intent to position itself more aggressively in the rapidly evolving landscape of AI-driven and cloud-native applications.

“I am honored to join MongoDB at such an exciting time,” Desai said in a prepared statement. “The company has built a world-class platform that is redefining how modern applications are developed and managed. I look forward to building on that foundation and continuing MongoDB’s journey as a leader in data innovation.”

Outgoing CEO Dev Ittycheria, who joined MongoDB in 2014, was credited with steering the company through a period of rapid transformation — shifting from a developer-focused, open-source project into one of the most widely adopted cloud-database providers in the world. Under his leadership, MongoDB became a fixture among enterprise technology stacks, expanded globally, and grew its recurring revenue base through the success of its Atlas cloud service.

Alongside the leadership news, MongoDB said it expects strong fiscal third-quarter results, citing robust demand for its Atlas platform, which integrates database, analytics, and AI tools for application developers. The company plans to report its results on December 1.

MongoDB’s shares have rallied in recent quarters on optimism around AI-driven data applications and continued enterprise adoption. With Desai at the helm, analysts expect MongoDB to sharpen its focus on large-scale cloud deployments, developer experience, and hybrid-AI integration — positioning it squarely at the intersection of cloud infrastructure and intelligent data systems.