Former U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak MBA ’06 and investor and businesswoman Akshata Murty MBA ’06 will give the commencement address at the Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB) diploma ceremony on Saturday, June 14.
The couple, who met while students at the GSB, have been married for 16 years and share two daughters. Their speech will mark the GSB’s centennial graduation ceremony.
“Together, Akshata and Rishi exemplify the leaders we strive to develop here at Stanford GSB — those who bridge business, government, and society,” interim GSB dean Peter M. DeMarzo said in an announcement. “As we celebrate our graduates — and our centennial year — I look forward to hearing our speakers’ reflections on their journey from Stanford to the world stage.”
Sunak, who resigned as prime minister of the U.K. in July 2024 after leading the Conservative Party to an electoral defeat, was named the William C. Edwards Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution in Jan. 2025. Prior to becoming prime minister in 2022, Sunak was the chancellor of the exchequer, serving as the government’s chief finance minister and a senior member of the cabinet. From 2015 to 2022, Sunak represented the constituencies of Richmond and Northallerton in North Yorkshire.
Sunak joins the list of politicians who have made their way to Stanford’s Hoover Institution, a right-leaning think tank, following their terms. Other prominent figures include former Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer and former Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne.
University president Jonathan Levin ’94 previously wrote to The Daily, “I’m thrilled Rishi Sunak will be spending time at Stanford; he’ll be a wonderful resource for faculty and students.”
Murty, a daughter of billionaire and former Infosys CEO N.R. Naranya Murty, leads the Office of Akshata Murty & Rishi Sunak. After studying French and economics at Claremont McKenna College, Murty pursued a diploma at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising before entering the GSB. While a resident at 10 Downing Street in London, Murty founded Lessons at 10, a program which aimed to give students a better understanding of how their government works.
GSB associate dean for external relations Derrick Bolton M.A. ’98 MBA ’98, who served as assistant dean for MBA admissions when Sunak and Murthy were students, previously praised the couple in an email to The Daily. “Akshata and Rishi are exemplars of service and leadership,” he wrote.