We’re thrilled to recognize @Brice_Fotzo and @abedattal from Paris, France, as our MongoDB User Group Leaders of the Month! Brice and Abdul have been leading MUG Paris for 1.5 years, growing it to over 2,100 active members and creating an exceptional community for MongoDB developers in Paris, France.As part of this recognition, we asked them a couple of questions about their journey. Keep reading to learn more about how amazing Brice and Abdul are.
Tell us about your journey as a MongoDB User Group leader.
Brice: In November 2024, as I was teaching MongoDB in an engineering school, I attended MongoDB .local Paris. I discovered the MUG Leader opportunity at the Community booth, and I was immediately interested. I hesitated and finally applied, went through the process with Harshit, and got selected. The hardest part wasn’t getting the role; it was stepping into it. Finding speakers, venues, and building momentum from scratch. One year later, with Abdul, we’ve turned an inactive group into 300+ active members on Meetup + LinkedIn, and collaborated with Google Cloud, AWS, OVH, and Microsoft Azure. It’s way more than I expected.
Abdul: My journey began in 2021 while organizing for the GDG community in Lebanon. My co-organizer, Elie Hannouch, and I planned to host a MongoDB session when we became curious if there was a community for MongoDB, and the answer was yes, which prompted Elie to reach out to someone in the MongoDB DevRel team named Harshit after he applied directly. That connection sparked my initial involvement in supporting the Lebanon MUG. When I moved to France in late 2024, I immediately looked for ways to support the local tech ecosystem. I noticed that the Paris MUG was largely inactive, so I applied and stepped up to serve as a Leader in January 2025. Harshit connected me with Brice, another highly motivated new member, and together we set out to rebuild the community.
What has been your most rewarding moment as a MUG leader?
Brice: Two moments stand out. First, a hands-on workshop where attendees were so engaged they didn’t want to leave after it ended. Seeing that level of enthusiasm, people genuinely not wanting to go home, talking together and asking questions to the speakers, confirmed we were building something meaningful. The second one was when I attended the MUG Leader Summit in Amsterdam, where European MUG leaders gathered for a few days of collaboration, sharing ideas, and meeting some MongoDB Solutions Architects and DevRel. It shifted my perspective from running a local meetup to being part of a global movement. Both moments reminded me why I took the leap.
Abdul: Each part of this journey had a special impact, but two stand out. The first was an evening workshop we hosted at AWS. The engagement was incredible; attendees were so invested that they stayed for almost three hours and genuinely did not want to leave. Seeing members stay after events just to ask how they can improve their skills or volunteer to help the community is immensely fulfilling. It proves we are building something of real value. Besides that, featuring our community booth at MongoDB .local Paris—standing right alongside the official MongoDB booth and giant cloud providers like AWS, Google, and Microsoft in front of 600+ participants—made me incredibly proud to be part of this community.
Do you have any tips for developers looking to build a community?
Brice: First, love connecting with people. Go to conferences, meetups, and events — not just your own. That’s where you find speakers who don’t even know they have something valuable to share, companies willing to host, and fresh ideas. If you enjoy connecting, it never feels like a chore. Second, be audacious. We hosted events at Google with Renault as speakers — opportunities that seemed impossible until we simply asked. Don’t limit yourself before trying. Third, get organized. Follow the playbook, use the onboarding resources provided, and build a reliable team. Even solo, structure and consistency make everything manageable.
Abdul: Building a community from the ground up is a marathon, but entirely achievable if you focus on the fundamentals. A successful community relies on mastering four distinct pillars: Speakers, Partners, Attendees, and Organizers. Break each part down, optimize the experience for all four, and your community will thrive. Not ignoring that you are not alone here, you need volunteers helping in parallel, social media presence, and many more to focus on, but step by step! Here are my top actionable tips:
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Show up and network locally: Go to other meetups in your city. Don’t just talk to attendees—build relationships with the event organizers, speakers, and sponsors. This is the best way to find motivated local talent and gain inspiration for your own events.
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Context is key: Recognize that community building is not a one-size-fits-all approach. What works flawlessly in one country might fail in another. You have to adapt to the local tech culture.
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Stick to the basics: While you must adapt to your environment, the foundational rules never change: be consistent, deliver high-quality content, and foster a welcoming, inclusive space for everyone.
What’s your favorite thing about being part of the MongoDB Community?
Brice: I learn something new at every single event. Whether it’s a technical deep dive or a conversation with an attendee, I always walk away with fresh knowledge that directly enriches the MongoDB courses I teach in engineering schools. I also love seeing familiar faces return. It means people find real value in what we build. Beyond the tech, it’s the human connection that keeps me going: meeting new people, having meaningful conversations, and growing together. Leading the MUG has pushed me to develop unexpected skills, such as event management, partnership building, and pizza handling. It gives me purpose beyond code.
Abdul: Being part of an international community allows one to truly make an impact, especially when surrounded by a highly motivated team, such as Veronica, who leads the MongoDB Community team. She’s exceptional at delivering the latest announcements, resources, certifications, and skill badges that keep us at the forefront of the industry. Locally, it is amazing to see our impact already extending to new cities like Lille and nearby countries. The level of connection and the genuine appreciation of our efforts from both the MongoDB France team and the global team is outstanding. It makes the work we do as leaders feel truly valued.
Where can developers connect with or learn more about you?
Want to catch Brice and Abdul at an upcoming event or connect with them? Use any of the channels:
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Brice Fotzo: LinkedIn, GitHub, and Blog/Website.
Thank you very much, Brice and Abdul, for sharing your story with us today and for all the incredible work you’ve done for the MongoDB Community. We can’t wait to see what you both achieve next.