Poppy Gustafsson, Baroness Gustafsson
The Baroness 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 |
| Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal | |
| Assumed office 15 November 2024 Life peerage | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Poppy Clare Veronica Prentis 24 August 1982 Kettering, Northamptonshire, UK |
| Political party | Labour |
| Spouse |
Joel Gustafsson (m. 2008) |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | University of Sheffield (BSc) |
Poppy Clare Veronica Gustafsson, Baroness Gustafsson, OBE (née Prentis; born 24 August 1982), is a British businesswoman and Labour Party member of the House of Lords[1] who serves as Minister of State for Investment since 2024.
Early life and education
[edit]Gustafsson was born Poppy Clare Veronica Prentis[2] on 24 August 1982 in Northamptonshire to John Prentis and Gilly née Johnson.[3] Her father ran an agricultural-sales business, and her mother was a journalist for Farmers Weekly.[4] Growing up in Huntingdon, she attended Hinchingbrooke School,[4] before going up to read Mathematics at the University of Sheffield, where she graduated as Bachelor of Science (BSc) in 2003, before studying for an accountancy qualification at Deloitte[3] qualifying as a chartered accountant in 2006.[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,[6] working as a corporate controller until the company's acquisition by HP.[7]
Gustafsson co-founded Darktrace in 2013 and initially held the position of chief financial officer.[6] She subsequently took on the role of co-chief executive in 2016 and became the sole CEO in 2020.[8] She led Darktrace's initial public offering in 2021, and left the company in 2024 prior to the completion of its sale to the private equity firm Thoma Bravo.[9]
Appointed to Government on 10 October 2024 as Minister of State for Investment by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer,[10] she was created a Life Peeress as Baroness Gustafsson, of Chesterton in the City of Cambridge, on 15 November enabling her to sit in the House of Lords.[2]
Personal life
[edit]In 2008, Gustafsson married (Roland) Joel Gustafsson PhD (Cantab), a Swedish engineer;[4] having two daughters, she took her husband's surname after the birth of her elder daughter.[11]
Dr and Lady Gustafsson live in Cambridge as of 2024[update].[3]
Honours and awards
[edit]Appointed OBE in the 2019 Birthday Honours for services to the cyber security industry,[12] Gustafsson was named Tech Businesswoman of the Year at the 2019 UK Tech Awards.[13] Awarded an honorary doctorate (Hon. DSc) by Sheffield University, her alma mater in 2022,[14] Baroness Gustafsson was elevated to the peerage in 2024.[15]
References
[edit]- ^ www.burkespeerage.com
- ^ a b "No. 64574". The London Gazette. 20 November 2024. p. 23590.
- ^ 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 Evans, Peter (11 July 2020). "Poppy Gustafsson: Lockdown has fuelled a cyber crimewave". The Times. 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.
- ^ a b Gross, Anna (19 August 2022). "Poppy Gustafsson, the cyber security chief with a human dilemma". Financial Times. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
- ^ Sweney, Mark; Hern, Alex (17 April 2021). "Poppy Gustafsson: the Darktrace tycoon in new cybersecurity era". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
- ^ "New investment minister to spearhead bolstered Office for Investment". GOV.UK. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
- ^ Sweney, Mark; Milmo, Dan (6 September 2024). "Poppy Gustafsson to leave Darktrace after sale to US private equity firm". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
- ^ Mason, Rowena (10 October 2024). "Ex-Darktrace CEO Poppy Gustafsson appointed UK investment minister". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
- ^ Johnson, Jamie (8 March 2019). "Darktrace's Poppy Gustafsson on how she built £1.26bn cyber security empire". The Telegraph. Retrieved 10 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". Summit Partners. 15 November 2019. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
- ^ "Sheffield celebrates Honorary Graduates". University of Sheffield. 12 August 2022. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
- ^ www.parliament.uk
External links
[edit]
- Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
- Contributions in Parliament at Hansard
- Voting record at Public Whip
- Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou
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