Who is Akshata Murthy, the first Indian First Lady of the United Kingdom?

Murthy, Akshata Narayan The first Indian First Lady of the United Kingdom is a British-based Indian heiress, businesswoman, fashion designer, and venture capitalist. Rishi Sunak's wealth became a topic of British media discussion from the perspective of her claim of non-domiciled status in the UK while married to British Prime Minister and Conservative Party leader Rishi Sunak.

The most recent title, on the other hand, came with its own set of challenges. Murthy, who was born in India but has no legal residency in the UK, came to public attention after her husband, Rishi Sunak, who is now the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, launched his campaign.

Early Life

Murthy was raised by her paternal grandparents in Hubli, India, while her father, N. R. Narayana Murthy, and mother, Sudha Murthy, worked to launch their technology company, Infosys. Her mother was the first female engineer to work for India's largest car manufacturer at the time, and she is now a philanthropist.

Murthy had a relatively simple middle-class upbringing in Jayanagar, a Bangalore suburb, "with no birthday parties or much pocket money" to preserve family values.

Murthy graduated from Baldwin Girls' High School in Bangalore and went on to study economics and French at Claremont McKenna College in California. She also has a diploma in clothing manufacturing from the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising and a Master of Business Administration from Stanford University.

Career

Murthy joined Dutch cleantech firm Tendris as marketing director in 2007, where she stayed for two years before leaving to start her own fashion company. Her fashion label went out of business in 2012. She was appointed director of the venture capital fund Catamaran Ventures in 2013. She co-founded the London branch of her father's Indian firm, N. R. Narayana Murthy, with her husband Rishi Sunak.

Sunak gave her his shares shortly before becoming the Conservative MP for Richmond in 2015. Since 2015, she has held a 0.91% or 0.93% stake in her father's technology firm Infosys, which is expected to be worth around £700 million in April 2022, as well as shares in two of Jamie Oliver's restaurant businesses, Wendy's in India, Koro Kids, and Digme Fitness. She is a director of Digme Fitness and Soroco, an IT company co-founded by her brother, Rohan Murthy.

Personal Life

Murthy is an Indian national. Kirby Sigston Manor in Kirby Sigston, North Yorkshire, is owned by the Sunak couple, as is a mews house in Earl's Court in central London, a flat on Old Brompton Road in South Kensington, and a penthouse on Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica, California. Sunak and Murthy were reported to have moved out of 10 Downing Street to a newly renovated West London home in April 2022.

It was reported in April 2022 that she is a non-domiciled resident of the United Kingdom, which entitles her to no tax on her income earned outside the United Kingdom, subject to an annual payment of £30,000. Murthy announced that she would keep her non-domiciled status but would voluntarily pay UK tax on her worldwide income.

Akshata & Rishi Sunak Relationship

Akshata Murthy graduated from high school in Bangalore and went on to study at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in Los Angeles. She also holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Stanford University. This is where she met Sunak, whom she married in Bengaluru in 2009. Anoushka and Krishna are the couple's two daughters.

"When I met him, we were 24-year-old business school students living in another country with no idea where life would take us," she wrote on Twitter in April.

Akshata Murthy's Net Worth

Murthy comes from a wealthy family and reportedly owns a £ 700 million stake in Infosys, a company founded by her parents and others.

Rishi Sunak and Akshata Murthy have a combined net worth of £730 million, which is reportedly more than King Charles III of the United Kingdom. 

Murthy, on the other hand, has a net worth of $1.3 billion, according to Bloomberg, owing to a 0.91% stake in her father's company. Murthy is one of the richest businesswomen in the United Kingdom.