Akshata Murty is an Indian-born businesswoman who is believed to be worth over $2 billion
When Akshata Murty was studying at Stanford University, she met Rishi Sunak, who was studying as part of the prestigious Fulbright Scholarship.
The pair became close friends, and eventually began dating. Within four years, they got married.
At the time, Murty’s father says he found Sunak “to be all that you described him to be—brilliant, handsome and, most importantly, honest”.
Akshata is the daughter of Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy, who has been dubbed the ‘Bill Gates of India’.
Today, his daughter has a stake in the company, which makes her an heiress to a fortune worth billions.
This makes her widely regarded as one of the most successful businesswomen in India.
Infosys is a technology company, which prides itself on digital services and consulting services.
Akshata is widely believed to hold a 0.9 per cent stake in the company, which has led her to a fortune of £730 million.
This makes the Indian billionaire richer than Queen Elizabeth II, whose fortune was placed at £370 million before her death.
However, she has previously come under fire for not paying her fair share of tax.
In fact, she claimed non-domiciled status, which meant she did not pay local tax on her overseas income.
But she gave up this status when her husband became UK Chancellor in 2020.
“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 said.
Her husband, Rishi Sunak becomes the youngest UK Prime Minister in two centuries.
He said he comes to the job at a time when the UK is facing “a profound economic challenge”.
