Rishi Sunak is a British politician and financier who made history as the United Kingdom’s first British-Indian and Hindu Prime Minister, serving from October 2022 to July 2024.
Early Life & Education
Born on May 12, 1980, in Southampton, England, Sunak is the eldest of three children. His father, Yashvir, was a general practitioner, and his mother, Usha, ran a local pharmacy. His grandparents emigrated from Punjab, India, to East Africa, and later, his parents moved to the UK in the 1960s.
Sunak attended Winchester College, where he became head boy. He then studied Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) at Lincoln College, Oxford, graduating with a first-class degree. Later, as a Fulbright Scholar, he earned an MBA from Stanford University, where he met his future wife, Akshata Murty, daughter of Indian billionaire N. R. Narayana Murthy, founder of Infosys.
Business Career
After Oxford, Sunak worked as an analyst at Goldman Sachs from 2001 to 2004. Post-Stanford, he joined The Children’s Investment Fund Management (TCI) and later became a partner at Theleme Partners. He also served as director of Catamaran Ventures, his father-in-law’s investment firm.
Political Career
Sunak entered politics in 2015, elected as the Conservative MP for Richmond (Yorkshire). He supported Brexit and quickly rose through the ranks:
- 2018: Appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Local Government.
- 2019: Became Chief Secretary to the Treasury.
- 2020: Appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer, where he implemented economic support measures during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In October 2022, Sunak became Prime Minister, succeeding Liz Truss. His tenure faced challenges, including economic instability and internal party divisions. He resigned in July 2024 after the Conservative Party’s defeat to Labour in the general election.
Personal Life
Sunak married Akshata Murty in 2009, and they have two daughters. The couple’s wealth, bolstered by Murty’s stake in Infosys, has made them one of the UK’s wealthiest political families.
Post-Political Career
After stepping down as Prime Minister, Sunak took up academic roles at Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government and Stanford’s Hoover Institution, focusing on economic, security, and technological research