Photos : Akshata Murty: Everything you need to know about Rishi Sunak's wife
While she may be Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's wife, she is also the heir to the Infosys empire as she is the daughter of Narayana Murty, the company's founder and one of the richest men in India.
Akshata was born in Hubli, India, before moving to Bangalore. There she studied at Baldwin Girls’ High School. She then moved to the US and studied at Claremont McKenna College in California. She met Rishi Sunak when she was doing her Masters in Business Administration in Stanford University.
While just a few months old, Akshata went to live with her grandparents so that her parents could focus on their careers. Infosys was founded a year later.
During an interview in 2017, Akshata opened up about her wealth:
‘Class does not mean possession of a huge amount of money. There are plenty of wrong ways to earn money in this world. You may be rich enough to buy comfort and luxuries, but the same money doesn’t define class or give you the ability to purchase it. The concept that you automatically gain class by acquiring money is an outdated thought process’
Most of her fortune comes from holding shares of her father's company. Reports estimate her net worth to be around $51 billion.
Akshata's husband Rishi has an estimated net worth of £200m according to The Sun.
The couple share two daughters, Krishna and Anoushka. They both attend a prestigious private all-girls school in South Kensington.
The couple enjoys a lovely property portfolio. According to Grazia, they own at least four properties including a £7 million house in Kensington. That’s their primary residence when they’re not staying in the flat about Number 10 with their two children, Krishna and Anoushka. Their other properties include a country house in Yorkshire called Kirby Sigston Manor which was acquired for £1.5 million and boasts a pool and gym. They also own a £5 million home in California.
In 2007, Rishi's wife set up her own fashion brand called Akshata Designs after studying at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in LA.
Akshata was criticised for the pricing of her label's offerings and was defended by Suhel Seth, an Indian marketing expert who knows the family:
'If someone has done all of this and you just paper it over by saying 'you are just a rich kid', you are denigrating academia, you are denigrating values, you are denigrating a path of simplicity that the family has treaded on all their lives.'
The company aimed to celebrate Indian culture by sourcing and championing artists in remote villages. While speaking with Vogue she said:
'I’m about the story behind a particular garment, its authenticity, craftsmanship and protecting a rich heritage, I care about doing something in India, for India, because it’s part of our family’s DNA.'
Akshata also holds shares in her family business Infosys. On her LinkedIn she is listed as the former director of the business she and Rishi set up together called Catamaran Ventures.
Akshata seems to have settled into her role as First Lady as she has now been to international events as a representative of the UK.
A perfect example of Akshata's role is the G7 summit where she could be seen having discussions with world leaders and their spouses.
According to a close friend who spoke with Tatler, Carrie Johnson and Akshata Murty couldn't be more different. They said: ‘There will be a different vibe now. Akshata is putting her stamp on that and is rolling out plans for more events and meetings.’
It is reported that Akshata has changed her approach to clothing; she hired fashion consultant Isabel Spearman who is pushing her in the direction of carefully curated power-dressing.
Spearman was previously employed as a special adviser to Samantha Cameron during her husband’s tenure at 10 Downing Street.
Before Rishi Sunak became Prime Minister, it was that Akshata had non-dom status in the UK and that she allegedly used the status to avoid some taxes.
Because she had a non-domestic status she didn't have to pay taxes on her earnings outside the UK. It's estimated she saved £20 million. But she changed her status to avoid any conflict with her husband's politics.
The family owns a £5million flat in California where they love to spend holidays. It is a special place for the family as Rishi and Akshata met there.
After Russia invaded Ukraine and Rishi urged UK businesses to ‘think very carefully about their investments in Russia and how they may aid the Putin regime’, it was revealed Infosys has a branch in Russia which many found slightly contradictory.
When asked about his wife's shares, Rishi told reporters, 'I'm an elected politician and I'm here to talk to you about what I'm responsible for. My wife is not.'
The PM denied he or his family were profiting from any business with Russia, insisting 'I really don't think that's the case.'
Rishi Sunak was investigated over a potential breach of rules relating to the declaration of interests, understood to be related to his links to a childcare firm in which his wife is an investor.
Rishi announced a pilot scheme that would incentivise people to become childminders, with £1,200 offered to those who train through specific childcare agencies. Koru Kids, which Akshata Murty is listed as a shareholder in, was among six private childcare providers likely to benefit from the scheme.
Labour councillor Gerald Ramsden said that while he ‘completely disagrees’ with Mr Sunak's politics, he admits he is ‘fairly well liked by the community’. He pointed to the fact that he had bumped into the family shopping for a barbecue in the local Tesco this summer.
Independent councillor Paul Atkin spoke to the BBC and said that Mr Sunak had been ‘extremely helpful’ on local issues.
