Akshata Murthy: Murty or Murthy?

By Jivika Last updated Oct 25, 2022

Akshata Narayan Murty is the wife of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and an Indian businesswoman, fashion designer, and venture capitalist. She is the daughter of N. R. Narayana Murthy, the founder of the Indian multinational IT firm Infosys. Murty and Sunak have a combined fortune of £730 million as of 2022, making them the 222nd wealthiest people in the United Kingdom.

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Murty or Murthy?

Akshata Murty’s family has two surname spellings: Murty and Murthy, with her father preferring the latter. Her mother spells her name Murty, which her daughter has adopted. “My husband is Narayana Murthy —t-h-y, okay?” she explained in an interview with the Telegraph of India. Murty — t-y — is my name. From there, I believe my independence shines through. When we decided to marry, I told Murthy that I wasn’t sure. What’s the point of being M-u-r-t-h-y? That is incorrect spelling.”

Early Life and Education

Sudha Murty, the mother of Infosys co-founder N. R. Murty, was the first female engineer to work for India’s largest car manufacturer at the time, and she is now a philanthropist. To preserve family values, she had a relatively simple middle-class upbringing in Jayanagar, a Bangalore suburb, “with no birthday parties or much pocket money.” Murthy graduated from Baldwin Girls’ High School in Bangalore and went on to Claremont McKenna College in California to study economics and French.

Career and Investments

Murty 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. In 2013, she was appointed director of the venture capital firm Catamaran Ventures. 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 Murty.

What’s Akshata Murty’s Job?

Murty began her career in finance and marketing before launching her fashion label, Akshata Designs, which specialises in working with artists in remote Indian villages. The label went out of business in 2012. She is now a director of Catamaran Ventures, a venture capital firm founded by her father in 2010. She was in charge of establishing the investment firm’s UK arm, including the opening of a London office. Other holdings include a stake in Jamie Oliver’s restaurant businesses in the United Kingdom and a stake in the Wendy’s burger chain in India.

Personal Life

Murty is an Indian national. Murty married Rishi Sunak, whom she met at Stanford University, in August 2009. Anoushka and Krishna are their two daughters. They own Kirby Sigston Manor in the North Yorkshire village of Kirby Sigston, as well as a mews house in Earl’s Court in central London, a flat in South Kensington’s Old Brompton Road, and a penthouse apartment on Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica, California. Sunak and Murty were reported to have moved out of 11 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. Murty announced that she would keep her non-domiciled status but would voluntarily pay UK tax on her worldwide income.

Where Does Akshata Murty Live Now?

The couple may have moved into 10 Downing Street as a result of Rishi Sunak’s new job, but they have a sizable property portfolio for when they need to get away. They own a five-bedroom townhouse and a flat in London, as well as a lavish family manor house in Kirby Sigston, North Yorkshire, set in 12 acres of grounds. There’s also the minor matter of a substantial property in Santa Monica, California.

How wealthy is Akshata Murty?

Akshata Murty and her family are extremely wealthy by any standard. Taken alone, the 0.91 percent stake she allegedly owns in her family’s tech firm is worth £430 million.
Her Infosys dividends alone for the fiscal year 2021/2022 totaled around £11.5 million. According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, her total net worth is around $1.2 billion, which is significantly more than King Charles III’s.