Expert resume of Sheila Ahuja KC

Sheila Ahuja KC is a partner in A&O Shearman Global International Arbitration Group based in Singapore. She co-leads the Asian arbitration practice and is the Co-head of the firm’s India Group

Sheila is one of the foremost arbitration practitioners in the Asia-Pacific region. She was appointed King’s Counsel in March 2025, the only solicitor-advocate among the 105 King’s Counsel appointments in 2025.

Sheila advises clients on a wide range of arbitration matters, both commercial arbitrations and investor-State arbitrations, as well as on arbitration related court matters, across the Asia Pacific region. Her practice spans various sectors, with a specific focus on disputes relating to complex financial products. Having advised various stakeholders in the financial services sector, Sheila has a deep understanding of the business practices within the industry.

Sheila is a Solicitor Advocate, with Higher Rights of Audience before the Senior Courts of England & Wales and the Courts of Hong Kong. She is enrolled in the Bar Council of New Delhi and is also qualified to appear before the Singapore International Commercial Court. She regularly sits as arbitrator, including as presiding arbitrator.

Sheila is on the ICC Court as a United Kingdom representative, a member of the ICC Empowerment Sub-committee and the IBA Asia Pacific Regional Forum, the former Co-Chair of the Steering Committee of the Young MCIA, and a member of the Appointments Committee of the HKIAC. She is also a contributing author of Alternative Dispute Resolution: The Indian Perspective (Oxford University Press), and the upcoming publications Emerging Trends & Practices in International Arbitration (Thomson Reuters), and International Commercial Arbitration: An Asia-Pacific Perspective (Cambridge University Press). She is also Adjunct Associate Professor at the National University of Singapore.

Sheila is the highest ranked female arbitration counsel in Singapore by Chambers Asia Pacific 2025, she is one of only three individuals ranked Band 1 for Indian Disputes - Expertise Based Abroad by Chambers Asia Pacific 2025, and she is the sole individual recommended by Chambers Global 2024 for Dispute Resolution (Expertise Based Abroad) in Malaysia. She is also recommended by Legal 500 Asia Pacific and Who's Who Legal.

Sheila speaks English, Sindhi, Hindi and Chinese (Cantonese and Mandarin).