# Asmar Ghafoor

Head of Talent and People Operations, International at Cognition; 2x IPO talent leader building Cognition's MENA/APJ teams  
Cognition  
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

## At Cognition

- Role: Head of Talent and People Operations - International (Recruiting/People)
- Joined: Nov 2025
- How they joined: Directly
- Before Cognition: Global Vice President of Talent and HR, Rewaa
- Overlapped before Cognition with other Cognition people at: Salesforce; BMC Software; MuleSoft (https://www.autumn.ai/resources/cognition/worked-together)

## Identity
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/azzyg
- Domain: cognition.ai

## Notes
- Joined Cognition in November 2025, announcing on LinkedIn he would be 'Head of Talent and People Operations - EMEA and JAPAC', partnering with Brooke Arthur, Managing Director of International (ex-Scale AI and Sama). (https://www.linkedin.com/posts/azzyg_cognitionai-gtm-saudivision2030-activity-7393996717529976832-HMyq)
- LinkedIn role description says he joined as 'one of Cognition's first international hires' to lead 0-to-1 expansion across Singapore, Japan, Australia, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, hiring 40+ leaders and GTM staff across Sales, Deployed Engineering and Applied AI. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/azzyg)
- Says Patrick Circelli, 'Cognition's first true Talent hire', hired him and Hayley Hibbens, making the talent team 'a small and mighty group of three' at the time he joined. (https://www.linkedin.com/posts/azzyg_cognitionai-devin-hiring-activity-7483920960212058113-dZD6)
- Six-month post: Cognition raised $1B at ~$25B with run-rate revenue of $490M+, 'Devin is responsible for 89% of the PRs written at Cognition', offices launched in London, Tokyo and Singapore, and the company 'integrated Windsurf into the broader platform vision'. He joined after the Windsurf deal and does not claim to have worked at Windsurf. (https://www.linkedin.com/posts/azzyg_devin-cognitionai-enterpriseai-activity-7465681982182608896-RVNu)
- Credits himself with launching Cognition's Saudi Regional HQ and supporting entity setup and operational launches in the UAE, Japan and Singapore 'in just three months'. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/azzyg)
- Says Singapore is Cognition's APAC HQ, led by Richard Spence, with a new shophouse office on Amoy Street. He used the Singapore F1 weekend (Aston Martin Aramco sponsorship) to recruit Enterprise AEs, VPs of Sales, Deployed Engineers and Field CTOs. (https://www.linkedin.com/posts/azzyg_cognitionai-devin-singaporegp-activity-7514929920553259008-XsOk)
- Early Oct 2026 post lists 'Over $2B in Series E funding at a $48B valuation' and Chris Degnan joining. He was interviewing Majors Account Directors across APAC with Richard Spence that week. (https://www.linkedin.com/posts/azzyg_devin-cognitionai-singapore-activity-7512300046973894657-izG0)
- Hosted a Tokyo evening for 30+ established engineers and founders, covering Devin, Deployed Engineering and Devin Security Swarm. (https://www.linkedin.com/posts/azzyg_devin-cognitionai-tokyo-activity-7511282948982145025-psth)
- Welcomed Chad Peets to Cognition as 'the Talent Master' from 'my days working with the Bladelogic BMC crew', a working tie that goes back to his 2011-2013 time at BMC Software. (https://www.linkedin.com/posts/azzyg_im-super-excited-to-join-cognition-as-its-activity-7511264811146612736-IxFj)
- In his joining post he thanked Emily Cohen, Patrick Circelli, Alex Hammett and Russell Kaplan. (https://www.linkedin.com/posts/azzyg_cognitionai-gtm-saudivision2030-activity-7393996717529976832-HMyq)
- Global VP of Talent and HR at Rewaa (Jan 2024-Aug 2025), Saudi SaaS. He got the job by messaging the CEO on LinkedIn, was interviewed 24 hours later and moved from the UK to Riyadh a week after that. His LinkedIn role says Rewaa grew from $8M to $22M+ ARR over his tenure. (https://www.linkedin.com/posts/azzyg_peopleleadership-executivesearch-hrbp-activity-7361023812441681920-YcVV)
- Global GTM Talent Leader at PagerDuty (May 2017-Jan 2020). He was 'the first hire in EMEA', hired by the CRO, and scaled WW Sales and EMEA/APJ GTM teams ahead of the April 2019 IPO. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/azzyg)
- Posted 'Deal closed; lots coming in KSA and globally with Humain!' on the PIF/Aramco Humain transaction. (https://www.linkedin.com/posts/azzyg_pif-and-aramco-close-humain-transaction-to-activity-7522593812548943872-V8pX)
- Wrote that 'One of the reasons I joined Cognition was the opportunity to help shape how autonomous AI can solve real customer problems at scale' and described Anthropic as one of several model providers to Devin. (https://www.linkedin.com/posts/azzyg_the-problem-solvers-scott-wu-at-cognition-activity-7462771028767887360-O9Ix)
- Global Senior Director of Talent at Delphix (Aug 2020-Mar 2024), 'hired by CRO' to build a force-management culture across Sales/GTM. His LinkedIn role says ARR scaled from $90M to $170M+ before the Perforce acquisition. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/azzyg)
- Director of Talent EMEA at MuleSoft (Sep 2016-May 2017), rebuilding the EMEA talent function ahead of the March 2017 IPO and $6.5B Salesforce acquisition. This is the second of the two IPOs behind his '2 x IPO Alumni' tag. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/azzyg)
- Public headline says "Building International GTM @ Cognition.ai". (https://www.linkedin.com/in/azzyg)
- Strategic Advisor to the CEO of Jisr (Saudi HR tech), Sep-Nov 2025, immediately before Cognition. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/azzyg)
- Founder and CEO of Meta Talent (since Jan 2018), a GTM executive-search and market-entry practice that has supported PagerDuty, MongoDB and Mendix. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/azzyg)
- Head of Talent Acquisition EMEA at Demandware (Jan 2013-Sep 2016) through its $3B acquisition by Salesforce (now Salesforce Commerce Cloud). (https://www.linkedin.com/in/azzyg)
- Build, Lead, Operate and Execute; this comes from the profile summary and preserves the person's own positioning. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/azzyg)
- Recommended a Force Management podcast with former colleague Frederik Maris, writing 'Prep is key in every major pursuit, not just sales, but also when you interview!' (https://www.linkedin.com/posts/azzyg_great-podcast-with-my-talented-friend-and-activity-7483977956143517696-YguP)
- Lead Recruiter for Services and Presales EMEA at BMC Software (2011-2013), after a 2011 sales-manager stint at BMC Elite Partner Fusion Business Solutions. Before that he did agency recruiting (2006-2010) at GCS Recruitment, Connections Recruitment and Timothy James Consulting. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/azzyg)
- Previous roles include Strategic Advisor at Jisr | جسر; Global Vice President of Talent and HR at Rewaa; Global Senior Director - Talent at Delphix; Global GTM Talent Leader at PagerDuty; Director of Talent EMEA at MuleSoft; Head of Talent Acquisition Demandware - EMEA at Salesforce; Lead Recruiter / Manager Services & Presales - EMEA at BMC Software; Sales Manager - Professional Services at BMC Elite Partner - Fusion Business Solutions. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/azzyg)
- Says Riyadh has been home for 'nearly three years' for him and his family. (https://www.linkedin.com/posts/azzyg_riyadh-has-been-my-home-for-nearly-three-activity-7515599188705857536-RMSi)
- Location is Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/azzyg)

## Experience
- GTM Builder - MENA / APJ at Cognition - Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (Nov 2025 - Present): Joined as one of Cognition’s first international hires to spearhead our 0→1 international expansion across the Middle East, APAC and Japan, building the GTM leadership, talent and operating infrastructure to support a multi-billion-dollar ARR ambition.

GTM Expansion: Helped establish and scale Cognition’s presence across five strategic markets: Singapore, Japan, Australia, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Leadership & Talent: Hired and onboarded the founding teams, hiring 40+ leaders and GTM professionals across Sales, Deployed Engineering, Applied AI and other critical functions.

Market Entry & Execution: Launched Cognition’s Saudi Regional HQ and supported entity establishment and operational launches across the UAE, Japan and Singapore in just three months.

Commercial Scale: Built the regional GTM Talent strategy and operating foundations to accelerate enterprise market penetration, revenue growth and international expansion. So far, supported the company's journey from $190M ARR to $1B+ and a $15B valuation to $48B+.
- CEO and Founder at Meta Talent - Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (Jan 2018 - Present): 🌍 Global GTM Expansion | Executive Search | Market Entry & Scale

15+ years building and scaling high-performing GTM organisations across global SaaS and technology companies, from early-stage growth through IPOs and acquisitions.

Specialising in international market entry, GTM strategy, executive leadership, commercial talent, organisational design and scaling revenue-generating teams globally. 

Track record supporting high-growth companies including PagerDuty, MongoDB and Mendix. Trusted advisor to CROs, combining commercial strategy with hands-on execution.
- Strategic Advisor at Jisr | جسر - Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (Sep 2025 - Nov 2025): Consulting as a Strategic Advisor to the CEO.
- Global Vice President of Talent and HR at Rewaa - Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (Jan 2024 - Aug 2025): Led the global growth and performance strategy across Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Pakistan, scaling the organisation from $8 million to $22 million+ ARR.
- Global Senior Director - Talent at Delphix - Greater London, England, United Kingdom (Aug 2020 - Mar 2024): *Acquired by Perforce Software March 2024*

Hired by CRO as a people leader during a high-growth, business turnaround and pre-acquisition phase. Partnered closely with the executive team to align talent strategy and capacity planning, with a core focus on Sales and GTM functions, building a force management culture. Scaled $90mil to $170mil+ ARR.
- Global GTM Talent Leader at PagerDuty - London Area, United Kingdom (May 2017 - Jan 2020): *PagerDuty IPO April 2019*

Hired by the CRO as the first hire in EMEA, scaled the WW Sales teams and all GTM teams in EMEA and APJ, ahead of a successful 2019 IPO. Scaled $60 to $200+ million ARR.
- Director of Talent EMEA at MuleSoft - London Area, United Kingdom (Sep 2016 - May 2017): *MuleSoft IPO March 17, 2017, & acquired by Salesforce March 2018 for $6.5billion*

► Rebuilt and enabled the EMEA talent function ahead of MuleSoft IPO and $6.5bn Salesforce acquisition.
► Improved operational efficiency, leading the top-performing TA team globally.
- Head of Talent Acquisition Demandware - EMEA at Salesforce - London, United Kingdom (Jan 2013 - Sep 2016): *Demandware IPO March 15th 2012, & acquired by Salesforce June 2016 for $3 billion* Now called Salesforce Commerce Cloud.

► Led TA during post IPO and acquisition phase; drove talent branding and high velocity hiring across Europe and APAC.
- Lead Recruiter / Manager Services & Presales - EMEA at BMC Software - Egham (Oct 2011 - Jan 2013): ► Managed all of post-sales hiring, one of the top recruiters worldwide.
- Sales Manager - Professional Services at BMC Elite Partner - Fusion Business Solutions - London Area, United Kingdom (Mar 2011 - Oct 2011): ► Sales Manager, selling professional services into the BMC ecosystem as an Elite Partner.
- Senior Recruiter at Various Recruitment Agencies - London, United Kingdom (Mar 2006 - Aug 2010): Agency Recruiting role as a new business hunter and 360 Recruiter across Engineering, PM and Tech sectors hiring Contract and Perm staff.  Opened up several national accounts, generating up to £50k+ billings in GP a month from scratch, all through cold calling, building relationships and exemplary delivery.

Companies I worked for:
GCS Recruitment - 2006 - 2008
Connections Recruitment 2008-2010
Timothy James Consulting 2010-2011

## Education
- Abertay University - Computer Science BSC (Hons) - (Jan 2001 - Jan 2005)

## Sources
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/azzyg
- https://www.linkedin.com/posts/azzyg_cognitionai-devin-activity-7450027319538380800-mITK
- https://www.linkedin.com/posts/azzyg_peopleleadership-executivesearch-hrbp-activity-7361023812441681920-YcVV
- https://www.linkedin.com/posts/azzyg_cognition-fast-tracks-asia-pacific-expansion-activity-7455298836765380609-ZJbE
- https://www.linkedin.com/posts/azzyg_dubai-devin-activity-7491067004330598401-_6Cx
- https://www.linkedin.com/posts/azzyg_cognitionai-devin-ai-activity-7493598568360861697-NjPv
- https://www.linkedin.com/posts/azzyg_cognition-devin-activity-7467794472895082496-_h-6
- https://www.linkedin.com/posts/azzyg_devin-cognitionai-mercedes-activity-7454482109169106945-gPpf
- https://www.linkedin.com/posts/azzyg_devin-cognitionai-ai-activity-7495965753763094528-NtFM
- https://www.linkedin.com/posts/azzyg_hiring-london-devin-activity-7472285209997045762--AG2
- https://www.linkedin.com/posts/azzyg_dreamteam-cognitionai-devin-activity-7509269368002957313-Ydpr
- https://www.linkedin.com/posts/azzyg_devin-cognitionai-enterpriseai-activity-7465681982182608896-RVNu
- https://www.linkedin.com/posts/azzyg_great-podcast-with-my-talented-friend-and-activity-7483977956143517696-YguP
- https://www.linkedin.com/posts/azzyg_cognitionai-gtm-saudivision2030-activity-7393996717529976832-HMyq
- https://www.linkedin.com/posts/azzyg_cognitionai-devin-hiring-activity-7483920960212058113-dZD6
- https://www.linkedin.com/posts/azzyg_the-problem-solvers-scott-wu-at-cognition-activity-7462771028767887360-O9Ix
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/azzyg?miniProfileUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afsd_profile%3AACoAAABk_5gBDaLPxSiaX2bzQtMW_pPIQgGaLNY
- https://api.github.com/users/ghafoora/repos
- https://www.linkedin.com/posts/azzyg_cognitionai-devin-santander-activity-7453608010511462401-ixK7
- https://www.linkedin.com/posts/azzyg_cognition-devin-aiengineer-activity-7467796630961012737-mgPk
- https://www.linkedin.com/posts/azzyg_cognitionai-devin-activity-7482944932522156032-jjm3
- https://www.linkedin.com/posts/azzyg_devinreview-devin-cognition-activity-7420060707196432385-I9jc
- https://www.linkedin.com/posts/azzyg_devin-cognitionai-activity-7482534902324936704-LnaI
- https://www.linkedin.com/posts/azzyg_activity-7294663490491871232-dFvY
- https://www.linkedin.com/posts/azzyg_japanrocks-activity-7472342586393890816-x_Nh
- https://www.linkedin.com/posts/azzyg_cognition-activity-7409766153385951232-sOYL
- https://www.linkedin.com/posts/azzyg_cognitionai-activity-7473782670431342592-i3zm
- https://www.linkedin.com/posts/azzyg_officesetup-talentleadership-hr-activity-7333794219410575360-gqJQ
- https://www.linkedin.com/posts/azzyg_cognition-activity-7403206347049127936-ExFa
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- https://www.linkedin.com/posts/azzyg_devin-cognitionai-singapore-activity-7512300046973894657-izG0
- https://www.linkedin.com/posts/azzyg_devin-cognitionai-tokyo-activity-7511282948982145025-psth
- https://www.linkedin.com/posts/azzyg_im-super-excited-to-join-cognition-as-its-activity-7511264811146612736-IxFj
- https://www.linkedin.com/posts/azzyg_pif-and-aramco-close-humain-transaction-to-activity-7522593812548943872-V8pX
- https://www.linkedin.com/posts/azzyg_riyadh-has-been-my-home-for-nearly-three-activity-7515599188705857536-RMSi
- https://github.com/ghafoora


Researched with Autumn (https://www.autumn.ai) from public sources. Updated 2026-11-04. Profile: https://www.autumn.ai/resources/cognition/people/asmar-ghafoor · Everyone at Cognition: https://www.autumn.ai/resources/cognition/people