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Murty, Sunak to deliver CMC Commencement address
College cited their philanthropy and public service, including support for its quantitative computing lab and PPE program
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Malvika Choudhary - Sat, 04, Apr 2026
- 12:48 EDT
- 25
Akshata Murty, Rishi Sunak / cmu.edu
The Claremont McKenna College (CMC) will host Akshata Murty and Rishi Sunak as joint keynote speakers for its 78th Commencement Ceremony for the Class of 2026 on May 16.
From 2022 to 2024, Sunak served as the 57th Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, overseeing economic policy during a period marked by efforts to stabilize the economy and expand the country’s role in emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence.
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His government also negotiated the Windsor Framework with the European Union, which contributed to restoring devolved government in Northern Ireland.
Murty, a 2002 graduate of CMC, launched the “Lessons at 10” initiative during her time at Downing Street, providing students across the United Kingdom access to educational visits at No. 10 Downing Street.
The pair recently co-founded The Richmond Project, a United Kingdom-based philanthropic initiative focused on improving numeracy across age groups. Murty has said their work is guided by a shared focus on education and building confidence in data and numerical skills to support social mobility.
“Individually and as a team, Akshata and Rishi exemplify responsible leadership,” said CMC president Hiram Chodosh. “It is an honor that they will be joining us for this special Commencement celebration.”
Murty and Sunak have supported CMC through multiple initiatives, including the establishment of the Murty Sunak Quantitative and Computing Lab, an interdisciplinary hub for data and computation that opened in 2018.
They also endowed a philosophy professorship in the PPE (Philosophy, Politics, and Economics) program, expanding its capacity.
Murty has served on CMC’s board of trustees since 2011 and has contributed across several committees, including Academic Affairs, Building and Grounds, and Student Affairs.
She also previously served on the advisory council for the Berger Institute for Individual and Social Development.
Between 2013 and 2023, Murty led Catamaran Ventures UK, an investment platform supporting early-stage consumer-focused companies. She is also a trustee of the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Murty Trust and supports the Murty Classical Library of India.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and French from CMC and an MBA from Stanford University.
Sunak, first elected to Parliament in 2015, represents Richmond and Northallerton in North Yorkshire. Prior to becoming prime minister, he served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2020 to 2022, leading the United Kingdom’s economic response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Before entering politics, Sunak worked at Goldman Sachs and The Children’s Investment Fund and co-founded an investment firm focused on British businesses.
He studied at Winchester College and Oxford University and earned an MBA from Stanford University as a Fulbright scholar.
He currently serves on the World Leaders Circle at the Blavatnik School of Government at Oxford and is a visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University.
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