After Rishi Sunak became the UK Prime Minister thanks to Liz Truss’ historically short 44-day premiership, people were immediately even Intrigued by his wife Akshata Murthy and everyone started Googling: ‘how rich is Rishi Sunak’s wife’, ‘Rishi Sunak wife job’, and ‘Rishi Sunak wife company’.
So, here’s everything you need to know about the millionaire Akshata Murthy who Rishi married in a two-day ceremony in Bangalore in 2009…
Who is Rishi Sunak’s millionaire wife?
Akshata met Rishi while studying at Stanford University in America – Rishi had won a Fulbright scholarship – with Tatler describing her as ‘an artistic and fashion-loving student with a deep passion for India’s traditional craftsmanship.’
Speaking to The Times, Rishi said of his marriage: ‘My family all drink, my wife definitely drinks. It massively irritates her that I don’t,’ adding that he was persuaded to have a couple of shots before his wedding to Akshata but he didn’t enjoy the taste.
In numerous other ways in their relationship Rishi and Akshata have proved that opposites attract. ‘I’m incredibly tidy, she’s very messy….I’m much more organised, she is more spontaneous,’ he revealed. ‘She is not going to love me for saying this but I’ll be honest with you, she is not big on the whole tidying thing. She is a total nightmare, clothes everywhere… and shoes… oh God, shoes.’
What is Rishi Sunak’s wife’s net worth?
The 42-year-old daughter of Narayana Murthy, one of India’s richest men, Akshata is part of an impressive dynasty. And her own personal fortune has been underestimated until the past year.
Rishi has an estimated net worth or £200million according to The Sun, while Akshata’s is reported to be £500million. According to the Sunday Times Rich List, the couple’s combined wealth is a massive £730 million – more than the late Queen Elizabeth II.
The couple own ‘at least four properties’, including a £7 million house in Kensington where they live with their two children, Krishna and Anoushka, according to The Times. They send their two daughters, Krishna and Anoushka, to a private all girls school in South Kensington where Victoria and David Beckham’s daughter Harper Beckham is a fellow pupil.
What is Rishi Sunak’s wife’s job?
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. The aim of the company was to celebrate Indian culture by sourcing and championing artists in remote villages and work with them to draw inspiration from their design ideas and create something new.
‘I’m about the story behind a particular garment, it’s authenticity, craftsmanship and protecting a rich heritage,’ she told Vogue. ‘I care about doing something in India, for India because it’s part of our family’s DNA.’ However, Akshata has also recalled how her mother often scolded her for paying more attention to style and fashion than she did her academic studies.
Akshata also holds shares in her family business Infosys, and on her LinkedIn is listed as director of the business she and Rishi set up together Catamaran Ventures, the gym chain Digme Fitness and the Etonian tailor New & Lingwood. She’s also been linked to Jamie Oliver’s Pizzeria.
Does Rishi Sunak’s wife have non dom status?
Back in April, Akshata was revealed to have non-dom status in the UK after it was revealed that she used said status to avoid some taxes – non-dom status basically meant she didn’t have to pay UK tax on income from foreign investments, rental payments on overseas properties or bank interest. It has been estimated that Akshata may have been able to save £20million through having non-dom status.
At the time a spokesperson said: ‘Akshata Murty is a citizen of India, the country of her birth and parent’s home. India does not allow its citizens to hold the citizenship of another country simultaneously. So, according to British law, Ms Murty is treated as non-domiciled for UK tax purposes. She has always and will continue to pay UK taxes on all her UK income.’
However, in response to a public outcry, Akshata relinquished her non-dom status and now pays British taxes on all her worldwide income.
In a statement she said: ‘It has become clear that many do not feel it is compatible with my husband’s role as chancellor. I understand and appreciate the British sense of fairness and I do not wish my tax status to be a distraction for my husband or to affect my family.’
She added: ‘Rishi has always respected the fact that I am Indian and as proud of my country as he is of his. He has never asked me to abandon my Indian citizenship, ties to India or my business affairs, despite the ways in which such a move would have simplified things for him politically […]
‘My decision to pay UK tax on all my worldwide income 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. In my time here I have invested in British businesses and supported British causes.’
Who is Rishi Sunak’s wife’s dad?
Akshata’s father Narayana co-founded IT company Infosys in 1981 and it has been reported that Akshata holds £430 million in shares in her family’s firm, which makes her richer than King Charles. The business currently has an office in Moscow, which has led to many people questioning their presence in Russia in light of recent events.
Does Rishi Sunak’s wife do business with Russia?
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 questioned whether his wife and family were actually benefiting from business with Russia themselves.
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,’ and denied he or his family were profiting from any business with Russia. ‘I really don’t think that’s the case,’ he said.
A spokesperson for Infosys told Sky News: ‘Infosys supports and advocates for peace between Russia and Ukraine. Infosys has a small team of employees based out of Russia, that services some of our global clients, locally. We do not have any active business relationships with local Russian enterprises.’
Where is Rishi Sunak’s wife from?
Despite Akshata’s massive fortune now, she was brought up with much less. In fact, Akshata’s father Narayana heard the news of his daughter’s birth in Hubili in 1980, from a colleague because his family didn’t have a phone. ‘Your mother and I were young then and struggling to find our feet in our careers,’ he told Akshata in a letter, the BBC reports.
At just a few months old, Akshata went to live with her grandparents so that her mother and father could advance in their careers in Mumbai. After one year, Narayana founded Infosys – the company that found the family their fortune.
Akshata’s mother, Sudha, was the first female engineer to work at TELCO (India’s biggest car manufacturer) and also found success as an author and continued to raise Akshata and her brother Rohan. But despite the family’s new success, Akshata and her brother had a very normal upbringing with no television in their house and rode a rickshaw to school like their friends, according to AFP.
When Akshata had finished school, she moved to America and studied for a degree in economics and French at Claremont McKenna College, California. Before going on to meet Rishi at Stanford while studying for her MBA.
Speaking about wealth, Akshata said in an interview in 2017: ‘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. Mother Teresa was a classy woman. So is Manjul Bhargava, a great mathematician of Indian origin. The concept that you automatically gain class by acquiring money is an outdated thought process.’
