Akshata Murthy: Rishi Sunak’s Wife is a Billionaire Heiress and a Woman to Reckon

Akshata Murty is a billionaire software heiress and is one of the most powerful women in the UK

Rishi Sunak’s ascendence as the newest Prime Minister of the UK has drawn attention in India, and not just because he is literally the first British-Indian Prime Minister of the UK, but also because of his talented and brilliant wife Akshata Murty. She is the daughter of the Indian billionaire Narayana Murthy, one of the country’s best-known businessmen who has been dubbed the Bill Gates of India. Akshata is an heiress to a fortune worth billions. Initially, she came under the spotlight when her non-domiciled status was revealed, and she did not have to pay any tax on her earnings from outside the UK. Later, due to various reasons, she agreed to pay UK taxes on her worldwide income. It might seem like Rishi Sunak’s wife was born with a silver spoon, however, she initially had humble beginnings.

Sunak will not only be Britain’s youngest leader over the past 200 years, he is the country’s first non-White Prime Minister. In an interview, he largely thanked his wife, Akshata. Sunak will be one of the richest people to reach the top of the UK’s political establishment. Akshata has over 0.95% stake in her father’s software company, Infosys, which is worth approximately US$715 million. That demonstrates that the bulk of the couple’s estimated net worth is £730 million (US$830 million), making Akshata even richer than the Late Queen Elizabeth II.

Akshata has not always been a powerful figure in politics. She initially started her career in fashion and founded a womenswear brand Akshata Designs, which according to reports has been described in a 2011 Vogue India mini-profile as “local craftsmanship meets contemporary Western silhouettes.” Her love for clothes baffled her mother, who failed to understand why she would spend so much time creating different outfits from her own wardrobe.

Rishi and Akshata have two daughters, Krishna and Anoushka. In 2015, Sunak was elected as a Member of Parliament for the safe Conservative Party seat of Richmond in North Yorkshire. In the UK, she and Sunak were listed as directors of a venture capital firm, Catamaran Ventures, which was initially founded by Narayana Murty.