The internet is going crazy over the news that Rishi Sunak has been elected as the first Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Indian descent. The public’s attention is being focused on one more thing. It is Akshata Murthy, the first Asian British prime minister’s spouse. She is an heiress to a fortune estimated to be worth billions and has wealth that exceeds that of King Charles III. This page will cover every aspect of Akshata Murty.
You’ll be surprised to learn the following surprising details about Akshata Murthy:
1. Akshata was born in April 1980 in Hubli, India
As of 2022, Akshata Murthy will be 42 years old. She was reared by her paternal grandparents when her parents relocated to Mumbai and started up their IT company.
2. Who are Akshata Murthy’s parents?
Akshata Murthy’s father is the billionaire Indian businessman Narayana Murthy, who is frequently referred to as the “Bill Gates of India” and the co-founder of Infosys. Sudha Murty, who was reportedly the first female engineer employed by Tata Motors, is her mother. Presently serving as chair of the Infosys Foundation is Sudha Murty.
Akshata also has a brother Rohan Murty.
3. Though Rishi Sunak’s wife Akshata comes from a rich family, her parents struggled a lot to build the empire
In a letter to his daughter that was included in the 2013 collection Legacy: Letters from Eminent Parents to their Daughters, the father recalled how he learned of the girl’s birth via a coworker because the family couldn’t afford a phone.
He also wrote,
“Your mother and I were young then and struggling to find our feet in our careers”
4. To make sure Akshata and her brother focus on their studies they had no TV in their home
Sudha Murty and N. R. Narayana Murthy, Akshata’s parents, were both accomplished people. Since they didn’t have a television, her father reportedly said that they made time for “activities like studying, reading, conversations, and seeing friends.”
5. Akshata Murty studied MBA at the prestigious Stanford University
She attended the prestigious liberal Claremont McKenna College in California where she studied French and Economics. She earned a diploma from a fashion institution before beginning work at Deloitte and Unilever. Later, she pursued an MBA at Stanford University.
6. In 2010, she started Akshata Designs, a transient fashion brand.
The 42-year-old began her financial career there. Then, in 2011, she debuted her first line of clothing under her own fashion brand, Akshata Designs. Her designs are about “authenticity, craftsmanship, and maintaining a rich legacy,” she told Vogue India. She collaborated with artists from isolated Indian areas as well.
According to the Guardian, the company failed within three years.
7. Miss Murthy grabbed attention when she agreed to pay UK taxes on her worldwide income
Since Akshata had non-domiciled status, she was exempt from paying taxes on her foreign earnings. To appease the part of the irate public who criticised her husband’s political views, she made the decision early this year to pay for her worldwide income.
She tweeted,
“I do this because I want to, not because the rules require me to”
She also added,
“My decision… will not change the fact that India remains the country of my birth, citizenship, parents’ home and place of domicile. But I love the UK too.”
8. This is How Akshata Murty met Rishi Sunak…
While she was earning her MBA at Stanford University in the US, the couple met there. Rishi Sunak, the new prime minister of the United Kingdom, holds an Oxford first-class degree and was a Fulbright scholar.
Sunak brought out the disparities between his and Akshata’s backgrounds, saying,
“You know what you mean to me, and I am incredibly grateful that 18 years ago you chose to give up your high heels and take a chance on the short kid with a backpack.”
9. Akshata And Rishi’s Marriage And Children
2009 saw the humble wedding of the pair. Around 1,000 people attended the lavish reception, including businessmen, officials, and cricket players.
In a letter to Akshata, Narayana Murthy once praised her decision by writing,
“all that you had described him to be — brilliant, handsome, and, most importantly, honest.”
10. Rishi and Akshata have two daughters Anoushka Sunak and Krishna Sunak
At a time when the average person is struggling, the British media has not ignored their enormous fortune. Many debates resulted from this.
According to rumours, the couple installed a pool in their rural home in August for 400,000 pounds. Sunak was about to run for prime minister of the UK at the time. When Sunak visited a building site in the past, he was seen wearing a pair of Prada loafers, which sparked controversy.
11. Ms Murty and Mr Sunak founded the London-based offshoot of Catamaran Ventures in 2013
She has a strong interest in starting new businesses. On Companies House, Digme Fitness, a pay-as-you-go gym chain, also has Akshata Murty named as a director.
Akshata Murthy’s LinkedIn page also states that she is the director of New & Lingwood, a company that markets high-end clothing.
12. According to Infosys’s latest annual report, Akshata owns a 0.9% stake in the company which is worth £700 million in April 2022
Her shares in the corporation came under scrutiny after Russia invaded Ukraine, which put pressure on the company to stop activities there. In April, the BBC was informed by Infosys that it was closing its Russian operation.
13. Akshata surpassed the personal wealth of the late Queen Elizabeth II which was mentioned by the Sunday Times Rich List as about $460 million by 2021
Akshata Murthy’s net worth is estimated to be around $1.2 billion by the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
14. Murty and Sunak are the owners of at least four properties, including a five-bedroom property in Kensington, London, valued at £7 million, a condo in Santa Monica, California, and more.
15. Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murthy was included in the Sunday Times Rich List as having a combined wealth of £730 million.
Recent scandals have brought Akshata Murthy to the attention of the media. The curiosity in Ms Murty is unavoidable now that she is married to Rishi Sunak, who holds the highest office in British politics.
