UK First Lady Akshata Celebrates Women Role Models, Hails Mother Sudha Murty’s Legacy

Britain’s First Lady, Akshata Murty, has praised her mother Sudha Murty as a role model for women during an International Women’s Day celebration event at Downing Street. Akshata, 43, wife of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak played host to a mentoring session with female role models and business leaders for girls and young women on Friday.

The event was part of her a programme which provides children from across the UK an opportunity to see behind the scenes of the No. 10 Downing Street. “I’m so pleased to be marking this International Women’s Day by celebrating women in business. It is fantastic to host a special mentoring session with female role models and business leaders for girls and young women at Downing Street,” said Murty, according to a Downing Street release.

“I know the phenomenal work that goes into running a business. My mother’s endeavours in science, technology, engineering and maths allowed her to push boundaries both academically and professionally and gave her a ringside seat to the technological revolution,” she said. Author and philanthropist Sudha Murty, who began her career in computer science and became the first female engineer to be hired at TATA Engineering and Locomotive Company (TELCO), was nominated as a member of the Rajya Sabha last week for her contribution to social work and education.

The 73-year-old engineer-turned-philanthropist’s nomination to the Upper House of Parliament coincided with International Women’s Day on March 8. Sudha Murty, the former chairperson of Infosys Foundation, is also renowned for her contribution to Kannada and English literature and is a recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Bal Sahitya Puraskar, Padma Shri (2006) and Padma Bhushan (2023). Murty is famously known to have provided the seed capital of Rs 10,000 from her emergency funds to her husband N R Narayana Murthy to start Infosys, which has a market cap of over USD 80 billion.

“I hope other women and girls are inspired by role models around them to pursue their own passions,” added Akshata Murty, who until recently was director of Catamaran Ventures UK – an early-stage investment firm with a focus on British brands. On moving into No. 10 Downing Street when Rishi Sunak was elected leader of the Conservative Party in October 2022, Murty launched “Lessons at 10” to encourage a love of learning and inspire children from across the UK with the help of special guests, industry experts and charitable organisations.

International Women’s Day last week was organised alongside the Girls’ Network, a charity that partners with secondary schools and colleges across England to offer girls aged 14-19 a year-long mentoring programme to support their ambitions. “We hope that by being invited into No. 10, girls will see that spaces like this are just as much for them as anyone else. It will be a memorable experience for all involved and I’m sure the girls will come away feeling inspired and motivated in their own journeys,” said Katie Thiselton, Co-Executive Director, the Girls’ Network.

Later, the Sunaks also hosted a reception at Downing Street to celebrate inspirational female leaders from across a wide range of industries from businesses to civil society and the National Health Service (NHS). “I am committed to delivering the long-term change needed to build a brighter future for women and girls,” said Rishi Sunak. “And we’ve made huge progress since I became Prime Minister – investing millions to ensure women feel safe on our streets, ensuring girls receive a world class education by boosting standards and championing STEM [science, tech, engineering and maths] careers, giving women more choice with the largest ever childcare expansion in England’s history and launching the Women’s Health Strategy and Pharmacy First, making it easier for women to get the care they need more quickly,” he said.

(With agency inputs)