Rishi Sunak’s rise to power garnered attention in India – and not just because he was British Asia’s first prime minister.
His wife, Akshata Murty, is the daughter of Indian billionaire Narayana Murthy, one of the country’s most prominent businessmen, who has been dubbed the Bill Gates of India.
The heir to a billion-dollar fortune, Ms Murty came into the limelight earlier this year when it was revealed that she has non-residential status, meaning she doesn’t have to pay any taxes on her earnings from outside the UK. She then agreed to pay UK taxes on her worldwide income.
Despite her family’s enormous wealth, Miss Murty came from more humble beginnings.
In a letter to her daughter, published in a 2013 review, her father recalled how he heard the news of his April 1980 birth in Hubli from a colleague because the family could not afford a phone.
“Your mother and I were young at the time and were struggling to find our feet in our careers,” she wrote.
At just a few months old, Ms. Murty was sent to live with her paternal grandparents as her mother Sudha Murty and her father furthered their careers in Mumbai.
A year later, Mr. Murthy founded Infosys, an IT services company that would make him one of the wealthiest individuals in India.
Ms. Murty’s successful parents also instilled in their two children a focus on education and hard work. Murthy said there was no television in their home to “spend time on things like studying, reading, discussing and meeting friends.”
He studied economics and French at the private liberal Claremont McKenna College in California. Ms. Murty earned a degree in a fashion college before working at Deloitte and Unilever and earning an MBA from Stanford University.
She had met Mr. Sunak at university. The couple married in 2009 and have two daughters.
The 42-year-old actress started her career in finance in California before founding her own fashion label, Akshata Designs, which released her first collection in 2011. about “authenticity, craftsmanship and the preservation of a rich heritage”.
However, The Guardian reported that the business collapsed within three years.
One of its main business interests is the London-based branch of Catamaran Ventures, which was founded by Mrs Murty and Mr Sunak in 2013 and invests in start-ups.
In House of Companies, Ms. Murty is also listed as the director of pay-as-you-go gym chain Digme Fitness.
The company took over in February this year after revenues plummeted during the Covid-19 pandemic despite receiving permit funding.
Ms. Murty’s LinkedIn profile also lists her as the manager of New & Lingwood, which sells high-end menswear.
He owns a 0.9% stake in Infosys, according to the company’s latest annual report, which is estimated to be worth around £700m.
His stake in the company has been the subject of controversy as the firm came under pressure to cease operations in Moscow after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In April, the BBC was told that Infosys had closed its office in Russia.
More generally, the couple’s colossal wealth has led some to question whether Mr. Sunak has been cut off from contact with ordinary people, particularly during a cost of living crisis.
In the past, some prime minister’s wives have kept a low profile, including Theresa May’s husband, Philip May.
Others, such as human rights lawyer Cherie Blair, who continued her high-flying business after her husband Tony entered the number 10, got a lot more attention. Ms. Blair made frequent headlines for her charity work and book deals.
So far, Ms. Murty doesn’t seem to have gotten any media attention, instead she was thrust into the recent controversy.
But her husband’s rise to the top positions in British politics means that interest in Mrs Murty will become more pronounced.