Between an impressive real estate portfolio and a thriving career in finance, Britain’s new prime minister is believed to be the wealthiest person to occupy a parliamentary position. In fact, he and his wife Akshata Murthy reportedly boast a collective fortune greater than that of King Charles III. Here’s a look at Rishi Sunak’s immense net worth.
The most powerful person in the United Kingdom at the moment, Rishi Sunak has made the headlines for many firsts. Of Indian origin, he’s the country’s first non-christian Prime Minister of colour who also happens to be the youngest in 210 years. However, the most talked about aspect of his new position is the fact that he’s officially the most affluent occupant of Number 10 Downing Street.
The former finance minister and investment banker has been a consistent name on Britain’s richest people lists — courtesy of the fortune held by his wife Akshata Murthy — daughter of N.R Narayana Murthy of the tech giant Infosys fame. While the two haven’t commented personally on this, reports credit real estate as well as other investments for this.
Rishi Sunak’s net worth
Together, Rishi Sunak and Akshata Murthy hold a collective net worth of about USD 810 million — greater than that of the monarch in Buckingham Palace (USD 500 million).
Infosys connection
Infosys’ net worth alone is estimated in a report by Forbes to be around USD 4.5 billion. Murthy, 42, owns about 0.93 percent stake in the IT firm, which amounts to USD 715 million. This makes up the largest part of their combined fortune. Headquartered in Bangalore, the company provides outsourcing, business consulting, and information technology services.
Real estate investments
As per multiple news sources, the couple owns four homes across the United Kingdom and Canada. The largest of these is the 19th-century, heritage mansion Manor House in North Yorkshire which cost them about USD 2.3 million. Of late, the two have come under scrutiny for spending over USD 450,000 to build a leisure centre with a 40-foot swimming pool, gym, and outdoor tennis court in the property.
Their other main residence a four-bedroom space in upscale Kensington which cost USD 7.1 million.These aside, Sunak owns an apartment in South Kensington, which he’d bought for about USD 300,000. In the US — California to be specific — the couple owns a penthouse in Santa Monica that’s valued at USD 7.5 million. Combined, their real estate portfolio is worth about USD 18.3 million.
Other assets
Besides these, Murthy owns venture capital firm Catamaran Ventures UK worth USD 4 million. Sunak owned about 50 percent of the company until he transferred his shares over to his wife before entering the parliament. Today, the company has reportedly invested in Qatar royal family-backed investment firm dara5, MRI scanner manufacturer Hallmarq, Elon Musk’s SpaceX, social news aggregation site Reddit, and gaming company Loco.
Murthy also holds a 5 percent stake in International Market Management, which owns Immassociates Mauritius — the name behind four Wendy’s in New Delhi as well as 11 franchises of Jamie Oliver’s restaurants in India. She owns a large portion of the couple’s wealth.
Salary as the British Prime Minister
Sunak’s earnings through his career in finance is largely shrouded in mystery. However, as a member of the parliament he earned about USD 95,000. This increases to over USD 185,000 as the British Prime Minister.
In a report by Reuters, he was asked how he could relate to the public considering his personal wealth was greater than that of the monarch. He noted, “I think in our country, we judge people not by their bank account, we judge them by their character and their actions. And yes, I’m really fortunate to be in the situation I’m in now, but I wasn’t born like this.”
He further added, “My parents worked really hard to provide me with all these opportunities. I’m not going to apologise for what they did for me. And in fact, that’s why I want to do this job because I want to provide those opportunities for everyone else.”
(All images: Rishi Sunak)
This story first appeared on Lifestyle Asia India
