Shyam Sundaram (he/him) is the Global Operations Partner at Dalberg Advisors, based in Washington, D.C., where he leads many of the firm’s internal operations functions, including finance, knowledge management, IT, AI, and legal. He works with regional and country operations leads to ensure smooth operational functioning across the firm’s 20+ offices and helps drive organizational and operational transformation for the firm as a whole. 

In his client work, Shyam works closely with C-suite leaders of large NGOs and international organizations on strategic planning, organizational restructuring, and establishing robust monitoring and evaluation approaches. He partners with leaders to instigate short-term changes and ensures long-term sustainability, guiding them through cultural, political, and technical challenges. 

As a certified coach, Shyam also works closely with leaders and leadership teams to help them unlock their potential. He co-leads Dalberg’s Talent and Leadership Practice Area, and helps social sector leaders to tackle thorny individual and team leadership challenges, strengthen capacity among leadership teams as a whole, and supports organizations to help build the next generation of leadership.

Shyam has extensive experience working across the UN system, with major foundations, small and large NGOs and with all of the major multilateral development banks. Prior to joining Dalberg, Shyam held roles at various multilateral organizations and NGOs, including the World Bank Group, Inter-American Development Bank, and the International Crisis Group. He has contributed his insights on leadership and strategy in the social impact sector to publications such as Devex and Huffington Post.

Shyam holds an MS with Honors from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and a BA with Honors from Brown University. He is also a certified coach with a Master’s in Leadership Coaching for Organizational Performance from American University. He is proficient in English, French, and Tamil.