Sheela Mackintosh-Stewart

Sheela Mackintosh-Stewart is a family solicitor and ex-barrister, specialising in family law and a popular UK media commentator on marriage breakdown, family law issues and relationships. Mackintosh-Stewart is Founder CEO of iFamiliesUK and is often referred to as a 'Relationship Guru' and 'Relationship Expert' by the national and international media. She is active in community, voluntary, social justice, charity, philanthropic work and also politically, with a particular focus on diversity and international relations.
Mackintosh-Stewart (nee Kaur Magherra) was born in Singapore and is of mixed Han Chinese and Sikhs. She was raised in Malaysia and Singapore before settling in the United Kingdom.. She grew up in rural parts of Malaysia including the Pahang jungle, Bukit Ibam, Mersing, and Johor Bahru. She has three siblings, one sister and two brothers. 
Mackintosh-Stewart attended local rural primary schools in Malaysia and completed her secondary school education at Assumption English School and National Junior College in Singapore, where she received an ASEAN scholarship. She then attended Queen Mary University of London, London University where she read Law, where she graduated with an Bachelor of Laws (Hons) degree.
Mackintosh-Stewart is fluent in English language, fairly fluent in Malay language and basic Mandarin Chinese. She is married to James Stewart Order of the British Empire. She has two daughters, Alexandra Mackintosh and Elisabeth Mackintosh. 
Mackintosh-Stewart qualified as a barrister after completing her training at the Inns of Court, School of Law and was called to the Bar in England and Wales, Middle Temple in 1988. She completed her pupillage at 3 New Square, London. She re-trained and qualified as a solicitor in 1991, and worked for large London City firms including DJ Freeman Solicitors and Withers Solicitors. She became a Litigation & Family Partner at Ashley Wilson Solicitors in Knightsbridge, specialising in family law and divorce cases. 
Mackintosh-Stewart is the Founder and Managing Partner of iFamiliesUK, with a focus on personal wellbeing, dispute resolution, conflict management and mutually amicable settlements post-separation. Mackintosh-Stewart is also a matrimonial consultant at the International Family Law Group and Jackson & Lyon LLP. 
In 2013, she co-founded Diaspora Talent (previously known as Diaspora Emerging Leadership Programme), developing 75 young leaders from all diasporas to become a powerful group of visible and talented British Chinese leaders who can fill the under-represented diversity pipelines and lead local, national and global partnerships for UK PLC post-Brexit. 
Mackintosh-Stewart sits on the steering committee of China Talent Network, a Price Waterhouse Cooper-led initiative, to mentor and nurture talented Chinese diaspora leaders, and has also judged the PwC-Sinopro Business Leaders Awards in 2017. 
In 2009, Mackintosh-Stewart co-authored the Breakthrough Britain: ‘Every Family Matters’ Report, advocating measures to strengthen marriages and reduce family break-up, on behalf of the Family Law Policy Reform Group for the Centre for Social Justice. 
Mackintosh-Stewart also co-authors a mother-daughter relationship blog with her daughter Alexandra (Ally) Mackintosh 'i’mhavingamare' for young people's to help them successfully manage and navigate through life's 'mares' as they journey through adulthood. 
She was also a London Law Society mentor for junior lawyers and School governor at Beaconsfield High School.Mackintosh-Stewart was Chairman of National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children Buckinghamshire (2005) and Chairman National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children Beaconsfield & Gerrards Cross (2003-2005). As Vice-Chairman of the London International Committee of the Red Cross (2003-2005) she raised substantial funds for the relief efforts during the 7 July 2005 London bombings|July 2005 London bombings . She was trustee of DrugFAM and Street Dreams and fund-raised for Rainbow Trust Children's Charity|Rainbow Trust charity for sick and terminally ill children. She was a founder member of ‘Friends of Knotty Green’ Project reviving a local dilapidated playground, nominated for HM Queen’s Special Award. 
Mackintosh-Stewart co-founded and co-chairs the Conservative Friends of the Chinese (CFOC), with Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (The Cotswolds MP). CFOC’s impact include building a 6,000 strong membership, hosting social and political hubs with Cabinet Ministers to engage on political engagement and filling the diversity pipeline to increase Parliamentary representation from BAME (ethnicity)|BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) communities. Mackintosh-Stewart has used this platform to highlight the heightened levels of Hate crime|hate crimes against the British Chinese communities due to the COVID-19 pandemic, including publishing a statement raising this issue on 1 June 2020. 
Sheela Mackintosh-Stewart with former Secretary of State for Exiting the Brexit Secretary and current Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs The Right Honourable Dominic Raab Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)
Mackintosh-Stewart is a Vice President and previously Chairman of the Beaconsfield Constituency Conservative Association, and previously on the Women2Win Advisory board, working to increase women and BAME (ethnicity)|BAME representation in Parliament. She was a member of the Conservative Party’s BAME Working Group and co-founded Strategies2Win Consultancy, mentoring and assisting women Parliamentary candidates to be ‘selection-ready.’
Mackintosh-Stewart was previously an advisor to the All Parliamentary Party Group on East Asian Business.
Mackintosh-Stewart is a regular media contributor on the topics of marriage breakdown, relationships and families including major TV networks such as on Sky News Sophy Ridge programme. 
Sheela's commentary focuses on a wide range of relationship issues and is a sought after contributor from all UK papers including MailOnline|The Mail Online, The Times, Financial Times, The Telegraph, The Independent, Spear's magazines, HuffPost , City A.M. , The Sun (United Kingdom), Metro (British newspaper), Yahoo!, BBC News|BBC, Daily Express|The Daily Express , Glamour (magazine)|Glamour magazine and the Daily Star (United Kingdom)|Daily Star. She also contributes on legal commentary, including for Lawyer Monthly Magazine. 
She has been regularly invited to speak on many podcasts including the ‘Parenthood’ Podcast on ‘How to tame your teenager’ with Marina Fogle, MailOnline on ‘How to deal with your husband’s mid-life crisis’, About Time Magazine on ‘Love, Lust, Dating in London.’
Sheela is also a regular contributor and commentator on international publications. 
She is a regular speaker at seminars including in-house seminars at the Discovery Channel on ‘Creating a Blueprint for Better Relationships’ and ‘Building Blocks of highly functioning and successful families’, the Big Tent Ideas Festival 2018 and the Institute of Directors on International Women's Day|International Women’s Day 2020. 
Mackintosh-Stewart was selected as a Woman of Achievement by the 2009 Women of the Year Nominating Council for special contributions to society/workplace. She was awarded by Mulan Foundation for her contribution to philanthropy.
* Mackintosh-Stewart, Sheela (2019). 'How to celebrate valentine's day without actually celebrating it.' UNILAD.Mackintosh, Sheela (2009). 'Every Family Matters'. Centre for Social Justice. 
Category:British lawyers
Category:English barristers
Category:British people