Poppy Gustafsson
Poppy Gustafsson | |
|---|---|
 Gustafsson in 2024 | |
| Minister of State for Investment | |
| Assumed office 10 October 2024 | |
| Prime Minister | Keir Starmer |
| Preceded by | The Lord Johnson of Lainston |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Poppy Clare Veronica Prentis 24 August 1982 |
| Political party | Labour |
| Spouse |
Joel Gustafsson (m. 2008) |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | University of Sheffield (BSc) |
Poppy Clare Veronica Gustafsson OBE[1] (née Prentis; born 24 August 1982) is a British businesswoman and Labour Party politician who has served as Minister of State for Investment since 2024.
Early life and education
[edit]Gustafsson was born Poppy Clare Veronica Prentis on 24 August 1982 in the United Kingdom to John and Gilly Prentis.[2][3] Her father was a businessman in the agriculture sector, and her mother was a journalist for Farmers Weekly.[4] Growing up in Cambridgeshire, she attended Hinchingbrooke School.[3] She gained a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in mathematics from the University of Sheffield in 2003 before studying for an accountancy qualification at Deloitte, qualifying as a chartered accountant in 2006.[2][5]
Career
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In her early career, Gustafsson worked for the venture capital firm Amadeus Capital Partners. In 2009, she moved to Autonomy working as a corporate controller, until the company's acquisition by HP.[6][7]
Gustafsson co-founded Darktrace in 2013 and initially held the position of chief financial officer. She subsequently took on the role of co-chief executive officer in 2016 and became the sole CEO in 2020.[8][7] She led the company's initial public offering in 2021, and left the company in 2024 prior to the completion of its sale to private equity firm Thoma Bravo.[9]
On 10 October 2024, she was appointed Minister of State for Investment under Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and is due to be conferred with a life peerage.[10]
Personal life
[edit]In 2008, Gustafsson married Roland Joel Gustafsson, a Swedish engineer; they have two daughters. She took her husband's surname after the birth of her eldest daughter.[2][3][11] She lives in Cambridge as of 2020[update].[3]
Honours
[edit]Gustafsson was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2019 Birthday Honours for services to the cyber security industry.[12] She was named Tech Businesswoman of the Year at the 2019 UK Tech Awards.[13]
References
[edit]- ^ "Poppy Clare Veronica GUSTAFSSON personal appointments - Find and update company information - GOV.UK". find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 2024-10-10.
- ^ a b c "Gustafsson, Poppy". Who's Who. A & C Black. 2023. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U292826. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- ^ a b c d Evans, Peter (11 July 2020). "Poppy Gustafsson: Lockdown has fuelled a cyber crimewave". The Times. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
- ^ "Darktrace: World's Best Digital Security System". Growfers. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
- ^ Heathman, Amelia (13 August 2018). "Darktrace's CEO on life leading one of the UK's top AI start-ups". The Standard. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
- ^ Sweney, Mark; Hern, Alex (17 April 2021). "Poppy Gustafsson: the Darktrace tycoon in new cybersecurity era". The Guardian.
- ^ a b Gross, Anna (19 August 2022). "Poppy Gustafsson, the cyber security chief with a human dilemma". Financial Times.
- ^ "New investment minister to spearhead bolstered Office for Investment". GOV.UK. Retrieved 2024-10-10.
- ^ Sweney, Mark; Milmo, Dan (6 September 2024). "Poppy Gustafsson to leave Darktrace after sale to US private equity firm". The Guardian.
- ^ "Poppy Gustafsson OBE". GOV.UK. Retrieved 2024-10-10.
- ^ Johnson, Jamie (8 March 2019). "Darktrace's Poppy Gustafsson on how she built £1.26bn cyber security empire". The Telegraph. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
- ^ "No. 62666". The London Gazette (Supplement). 8 June 2019. p. B12.
- ^ "Darktrace CEO Named 'Businesswoman of the Year' at UK Tech Awards 2019". www.summitpartners.com. Retrieved 2024-10-10.
External links
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- 1982 births
- Living people
- 20th-century English people
- 20th-century English women
- 21st-century British politicians
- 21st-century British women politicians
- 21st-century English businesspeople
- 21st-century English businesswomen
- Alumni of the University of Sheffield
- British technology chief executives
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