Akshata Murty, the First Lady of the UK, and the wife of the Indian-origin Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has arrived in New Delhi today ahead of the G20 Summit to be held from September 9 to 10 at Pragati Maidan's Bharat Mandapam.
The daughter of Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy and author Sudha Murty has joined UK's PM Rishi Sunak who is in Delhi to meet world leaders. In October last year, he became the first Indian-origin British prime minister, scripting history.
Akshata Murty married Rishi Sunak in 2009, and the Prime Minister made quick rise to power in the years that ensued. They have two daughters. The 43-year-old fashion designer and venture capitalist as Director of Catamaran Ventures UK met Sunak, also 43, when the duo was studying at Stanford University in the US.
Sunak and Murty are reportedly the richest ever occupants of 10 Downing Street. Murty, who is the daughter of one of the founders of Indian IT giant Infosys, owns about 0.9 per cent of the company.
The couple appeared on the Sunday Times' Rich List in 2022, with an estimated wealth of £730 million. Akshata Murty earned Rs 126.61 crore or $15.3 million in dividend income in 2022 from her shareholding in India's IT firm Infosys.
Recently, Akshata Murty claimed the top spot in Britain's best dressed 2023 list compiled by Tatler magazine. The 43-year-old businesswoman and fashion designer featured alongside Love Actually star Bill Nighy, the Marchioness of Cholmondeley, and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, the husband of Princess Beatrice.
Akshata Murty began her career in the field of finance in California before starting her fashion label Akshata Designs in 2009. Akshata Designs is a womenswear brand aimed at preserving India’s ancient craft traditions through contemporary fashion designs and production techniques.
Akshata Murty is in India to be a part of the G20 Summit to be held this weekend. Ahead of his visit, Britain PM Rishi Sunak told PTI, "I am hugely proud of my Indian roots and my connections to India. As you know, my wife is Indian and being a proud Hindu means I will always have a connection to India and the people of India."
India's diversity and its extraordinary successes means it is the "right country" at the "right time" to hold the G20 presidency, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Wednesday, as he hailed Narendra Modi's leadership over the last year.