Nineteen years after they graduated from Stanford University, former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty returned to their alma mater as commencement speakers. The couple addressed the Class of 2025 at the Stanford Graduate School of Business (GBS), where they first met as MBA students. Their return to campus was marked by personal memories, family reflections and three key lessons they shared with graduates. The ceremony also brought back memories for Akshata’s brother, Rohan Murty. In a LinkedIn post, he recalled attending his sister’s graduation nearly two decades ago. “This year, I returned to the same ceremony but with an incredible twist,” he wrote. “My sister, Akshata Murty, and her husband, former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, were the commencement speakers. It was an extraordinary honour, not just for them as the first couple to give a GSB commencement address, but for Stanford as well. Rishi is the first alum to become a G7 Prime Minister.” Sunak and Murty used the opportunity to reflect on their journey and shared advice based on their experiences in public life, business and family. In the speech, which Sunak later posted on YouTube, they spoke about the importance of data, idealism, and doing the right thing or what they called "dharma". Sunak told the students that while data is powerful, it can’t tell the full story. “Data can’t look around corners,” he said, encouraging graduates to trust their instincts alongside evidence. Murty focused on combining values with action. “An idealist with nothing to show for it is still just an idealist,” she said. “A practical idealist can achieve the remarkable.” They also urged the graduates to follow their sense of duty. “Doing what’s right, even when the outcome is uncertain, is the principle of dharma,” Murty added. In an Instagram video, Murty looked back on how their relationship began during their student days. “No one was more annoying than Rishi when he insisted on coming for a run and then talked the whole way around,” she said, smiling at the memory. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Rishi Sunak (@rishisunakmp) She also joked about how a former admissions officer once told her the pair were meant to be together. “Twenty years and two daughters later… Stanford, you’re an even better matchmaking service,” she said during the speech. For Rohan Murty, the event was deeply personal. “Witnessing the incredible changes in my sister’s life over nearly two decades was truly moving,” he wrote. He even joked that he had finally “graduated” too after attending a second Stanford ceremony 19 years later, this time wearing a dress shirt instead of his usual t-shirt. The couple received a standing ovation from the graduates and their families.
