Akshata Murthy: Who is Akshata Murthy, wife of Rishi Sunak?

Akshata Murthy: Who is Akshata Murthy, wife of Rishi Sunak?

Rishi Sunak's rise to power in Britain has attracted the attention of India as well, not only because he became the first British Asian Prime Minister.

His wife Akshata Murthy is the daughter of Indian billionaire Narayan Murthy.

One of the most famous businessmen in the country, he is known as the Bill Gates of India.

Akshata Murthy, the heir to billions of assets, came into the limelight earlier this year.

There was a question about whether he had to pay any tax on the money he earned outside the UK.

She later declared that she would pay tax in the UK on the money she earned abroad.

Although his family's financial background is now very strong, Murthy's early days were very ordinary.

According to a letter written by Narayan Murthy to his daughter, published in a 2013 collection, he received the news of Akshata's birth in Hubli in April 1980 through a colleague.

Because at that time his family had the money to have a telephone.

"Your mother and I were young at the time and both of us were struggling to get established in our jobs," he wrote.

Akshata Murthy was sent to live with her paternal grandparents within a few months of her birth.

Background

Mother Sudha Murthy and her father pursued their careers in Mumbai.

A year later, Narayan Murthy co-founded Infosys, an IT services company that made him one of India's richest men.

According to Narayana Murthy, TV was not installed in their house to make time for activities like "studying, reading, discussing and meeting friends".

Akshata Murthy enrolled at Claremont McKenna College, a private liberal arts college in California, to study economics and French.

Murthy earned a diploma from Fashion College before working at Deloitte & Unilever and pursuing an MBA at Stanford University.

Relationship and career with Sunak

She met Sunak at Stanford University.

The couple married in 2009 and have two daughters together.

The 42-year-old started her career in finance in California before starting her own fashion company, Akshata Designs.

However, she released her company's first collection of designs in 2011.

She told Vogue India that she works with artists from remote Indian villages to create her designs.

She says her designs are about "authenticity, craftsmanship and heritage conservation".

However, according to details published by the Guardian, his business collapsed within three years.

One of his main business interests is the London-based arm of Catamaran Ventures, co-founded by Murthy and Sunak in 2013, which invests in new businesses.

Murthy is the director of Digme Fitness, a gym chain at Company House.

During the Covid pandemic, his company was restricted to administrative work only.

However, his company was unable to produce, and the investment also came.

Murthy's LinkedIn account also lists him as the director of New End Lingwood.

The company produces high-end clothing for men.

Proprietary to Infosys

According to Infosys' latest annual report, he owns 0.9 percent of the company, which equates to 700 million pounds.

After Russia invaded Ukraine, there was a dispute over his ownership of the company.

And Infosys faced pressure to stop its operations in Moscow.

In April, Infosys informed the BBC that it would close its operations in Russia.

In more detail, Sunak couple's immense wealth raised the question: Are they far away from the common people in the economic crisis where it is difficult to live?

In the past, the prime minister's husband or wife was out of the limelight.

For example, Theresa May's husband Philip May.

But others, such as human rights lawyer Cherie Blair, kept their high-profile jobs and gained more attention after Tony Blair moved into the Prime Minister's House.

Blair continues to make headlines for her charity work and book deals.

However, public interest and media attention towards Murthy will only increase after her husband ascends to a higher position in British politics like the Prime Minister.