Who is Akshata Murthy? All About Rishi Sunak's Wife

Akshata Narayan Murty, born in April 1980, is an Indian heiress, businesswoman, fashion designer, and venture capitalist. She is married to Rishi Sunak, who is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and leader of the Conservative Party. According to the Sunday Times Rich List for 2022, Murty and Sunak are ranked as the 222nd richest people in Britain, with a combined wealth of £730 million (US$830 million).

Recently, in 2022, her personal wealth has been the subject of discussion in the British media, following her claim of non-domiciled status, an arrangement that is considered to benefit the “super-rich.” Subsequently, Murty voluntarily gave up the financial benefits from her non-domiciled status.

She is the daughter of Sudha Murty and N. R. Narayana Murthy, who is one of the founders of Infosys, a multinational IT company based in India. Murty has a 0.93-per-cent stake in Infosys, as well as shares in various other British businesses.

Profile Summary

Real Full Birth Name	Akshata Murthy.
Famous as	Sudha Murthy’s daughter.
Age (As of 2023)	43 years old.
Date of Birth (DOB), Birthday	1980.
Birthplace/Hometown	Hubli, Bangalore, Karnataka, India.
Nationality	Indian.
Gender	Female.
Ethnicity	Asian.
Sexuality (Gay or Lesbian)	Straight.
Religion	Not known.
Sun Sign (Zodiac Birth Sign)	N/A.
House Location	Richmond, England.
Physical Statistics
Height (Tall)	Feet & Inches: 5′ 4″. Centimeters: 163 cm. Meters: 1.63 m.
Weight	Kilograms: 58Kg.
Eye Color	Black.
Shoe Size (UK)	7.
Hair Color	Black.
Family
Parents	Father: N. R. Narayana Murthy. Mother: Sudha Murthy.
Siblings	Rohan Murty (brother).
Personal Life Relationship
Marital Status	Married.
Husband	Rishi Sunak.
Kids	1. Krishna. 2. Anoushka.
Social media	No.
Education
Highest Qualification	College Degree Completed.
School	Baldwin Girls High School.
Alma Mater	1. Claremont McKenna College, California. 2. Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, California. 3. Stanford University Graduate School of Business, California.
Career
Profession	Entrepreneur.
Net worth	INR 2790 crore (As in 2020).

Early Life and Education

Born in Hubli, India in April 1980, Akshata Murty was raised by her maternal grandparents while her parents, N.R. Narayana Murthy and Sudha Murty, worked on launching their technology company, Infosys. Her mother was a pioneering female engineer who later became a philanthropist. Murty has one brother, Rohan Murty, and the siblings were brought up in Jayanagar, a suburb of Bangalore. Her maternal grandparents were R.H. Kulkarni, a surgeon, and Vimala Kulkarni, a school teacher.

Murty attended Baldwin Girls’ High School in Bangalore in the 1990s, and in 1998, she pursued a degree in economics and French at Claremont McKenna College in California. She also has a diploma in clothes manufacturing from the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising and a Master of Business Administration from Stanford University.

Career and investments

After working as the marketing director for Dutch cleantech firm Tendris in 2007, Akshata Murty established her own fashion company, which ceased operations in 2012. She then took on the role of director at Catamaran Ventures, a venture capital fund, in 2013. With her husband Rishi Sunak, who transferred his shares to her shortly before being elected as the Conservative MP for Richmond in 2015, she founded the London branch of her father’s Indian company.

In 2015, she acquired a 0.91% or 0.93% stake in Infosys, her father’s tech firm, and shares in two of Jamie Oliver’s restaurants, Wendy’s in India, and Koro Kids. Her combined wealth with her husband was estimated to be £700 million as of April 2022, making her richer than both Queen Elizabeth II and King Charles III. As of 2022, Murty is a director at Digme Fitness and Soroco, a digital transformation firm co-founded by her brother Rohan Murty.

Personal life

Akshata Murty, a citizen of India, married Rishi Sunak in August 2009 after meeting him at Stanford University. They have two daughters and own several properties, including Kirby Sigston Manor in North Yorkshire, a mews house in Earl’s Court, a flat in South Kensington, and a penthouse apartment in Santa Monica, California. In April 2022, they moved to a newly refurbished home in West London.

Murty’s wealth was the subject of British media attention in April 2022 when it was reported that she held non-domiciled resident status in the UK, allowing her to pay no tax on her income earned outside Britain, subject to an annual payment of £30,000. Later that month, she announced that she would give up her non-domiciled status and voluntarily pay taxes on her worldwide income in the UK. If she retains her non-domiciliary status and pays UK taxes on her worldwide income, she can benefit from a provision in a 1956 treaty designed to help avoid double taxation of Indian citizens in India and the UK.

Akshata Murthy and Rishi Sunak’s relationship and marriage

Rishi Sunak met his wife Akshata while they were both pursuing their MBAs at Stanford University Graduate School of Business. They were classmates and their friendship eventually blossomed into a romantic relationship.

After dating for a while, the couple got married in August 2009 at the Leela Palace Hotel in Bangalore. The wedding was attended by the families of both the bride and groom, as well as several well-known figures, such as Azim Premji, Anil Kumble, and Nandan Nilekani.

Net worth

Akshata Murthy, as the daughter of Sudha Murthy and N. R. Narayana Murthy, is set to inherit a significant portion of their wealth, which is estimated to be around $2.3 billion USD. She owns several properties around the world and is reported to have a net worth of INR 2790 Crore Indian Rupees, as of 2020.

Together with her husband Rishi Sunak, her estimated net worth in 2022 is approximately $810 million. The couple was ranked 222 on the Sunday Times Rich List 2022.