Team Leader Consultant of the Year
In her role as Director at Citisoft, Dhanya Dhiraj leads some of the firm’s most complex and high-risk transformation programmes across EMEA, consistently delivering results while building high-performing teams. With deep domain expertise across asset management operations, Dhanya combines rigorous delivery discipline with strong people judgement, enabling her to operate effectively in time-critical, high-pressure environments.
Dhanya’s career spans over two decades in financial services, including senior in‑house change roles prior to transitioning into specialist consulting. This breadth of experience gives her a rare ability to connect strategy, operating model design, and governance, and to translate complex client objectives into executable delivery plans. She is particularly recognised for her expertise in post‑trade operations, derivatives and collateral management, and large‑scale operating model transformation.
In her current role, Dhanya leads multi‑jurisdictional, multi‑year transformation programmes involving the lift‑out and migration of business‑critical operational functions. While client‑identifying details cannot be disclosed, these engagements typically involve complex multi‑vendor environments, evolving operating models, and heightened operational and regulatory risk.
Dhanya’s leadership is characterised by calm decision‑making, transparent communication, and strong governance, particularly during the most critical phases of delivery. A defining strength of this leadership is her ability to build teams that are structured for success. She views resourcing and communication as strategic levers, actively shaping team composition, clarifying accountability, and coaching individuals to perform at their best. Through this approach, Dhanya consistently delivers sustainable outcomes for clients while developing confident, capable consulting teams, making her a standout candidate for Team Leader Consultant of the Year.
View the profile in the MCA Members Directory.