Rishi Sunak, Akshata Murty visit Stanford after 19 years; netizens say ‘global icons motivating youth across the world'

Mint

17-06-2025

After nearly 19 years, former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his wife, Akshata Murty, returned to their alma mater, Stanford Graduate School of Business as commencement speakers. The duo talked about their personal lives, while delivering a speech for those beginning their educational journey at the iconic business school. Netizens have praised them for 'motivating the youth across the world'.
Rishi shared a video from his speech on Youtube stating, 'Watch Akshata and I return to Stanford GSB 20 years later to give the Commencement speech to the Class of '25."
One of the users said, 'A Fantastic and a very admiring speech! Cheers to both of you!' Another stated, 'Beautiful & ❤️ touching'. A third user asked, 'What about delivering for your constituents?' 'Truly inspiring! Both @RishiSunak ji and Akshata Murty ji delivered such heartfelt and visionary words. They stand as global icons motivating youth across the world to dream big, stay grounded in values, and pursue purposeful growth,' a fourth remarked.
In an Instagram video, Murty shared a memory from their college days, recalling how Rishi used to annoy her by talking nonstop after insisting on joining her for a run. Despite that, she also spoke warmly of her husband, praising his values and principles. She said, 'An idealist with nothing to show for it is still just an idealist. A practical idealist can achieve the remarkable. This is literally where we met." She revealed that he had reached that conclusion just by reading their admissions essays, even before they had ever met.
Rishi's brother-in-law Rohan Murty reacted, 'Nineteen years ago, I watched my sister graduate from Stanford's MBA program. This year, I returned to the same ceremony — but with an incredible twist. My sister, Akshata Murty and her husband, former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, were the commencement speakers!'
He added, 'Witnessing the incredible changes in my sister's life over nearly two decades was truly moving."