Akshata Murty appointed trustee of Victoria and Albert Museum

FORMER prime minister Rishi Sunak’s wife, Akshata Murty, has been appointed as one of six new trustees to the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London.

In her new role, Murty will help in scrutinising and promoting the museum’s work, collaborating alongside current V&A chairman Tristram Hunt, it was announced last Friday (21).

Murty said, “I am thrilled to be joining the V&A as a trustee. The V&A museums play a vital role in the creative and cultural life of the country, and I have seen firsthand the value of the V&A’s outreach work with young people. They have also been an important part of my family’s life, and it will be particularly rewarding to work together on the new south Asia gallery project.

“We share a passion for transforming lives through education and creativity and I look forward to working with the V&A in that mission.”

The world’s largest museum of decorative arts and design, the V&A has a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects.

The culture minister, Sir Chris Bryant, said, “Public appointees help to lead some of the UK’s best known institutions, and these immensely talented individuals with a wide range of personal and professional experience will make great contributions to how they are run and help to promote British soft power abroad. These roles are an important part of our cultu­ral infrastructure.”

Sixteen new trustees – among them broadcasters Mariella Frostrup and Vick Hope, as well as business leaders Nigel Newton and Pedro Pina – were announced for the V&A, Tate and British Museum.