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 |
| Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal | |
| Assuming office TBD Life peerage | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 24 August 1982 |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Hinchingbrooke School |
| Alma mater | University of Sheffield |
Poppy Clare Veronica Gustafsson[1] (born 24 August 1982) is a British businesswoman and government official who has served as Minister of State for Investment since 2024. She is due to be conferred with a life peerage.
Early life and education
[edit]Poppy Gustafsson was born on 24 August 1982.[2] Her father was a businessman in the agriculture sector, whilst her mother was a journalist for Farmers Weekly.[3] She grew up in Cambridgeshire, where she attended Hinchingbrooke School.[2] She studied maths at the University of Sheffield, before studying for an accountancy qualification at Deloitte.[4]
Career
[edit].jpg)
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.[5][6]
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.[7][6] 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.[8]
Gustafsson is a qualified chartered accountant.[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]Gustafsson is married to a Swedish engineer, with whom she has two daughters.[2] She took her husband's surname after the birth of her eldest daughter.[11] She lives in Cambridge.[2]
Honours
[edit]Gustafsson was made an Officer of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2019 Birthday Honours.[9] She was named Tech businesswoman of the year at the UK Tech awards in 2019.[12]
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 d Evans, Peter (2020-07-11). "Poppy Gustafsson: Lockdown has fuelled a cyber crimewave". www.thetimes.com. Retrieved 2024-10-10.
- ^ "Darktrace: World's Best Digital Security System". growfers.com. Retrieved 2024-10-10.
- ^ Heathman, Amelia (2018-08-13). "Darktrace's CEO on life leading one of the UK's top AI start-ups". The Standard. Retrieved 2024-10-10.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b "Poppy Gustafsson OBE". London Tech Week 2024. Retrieved 2024-10-10.
- ^ "Poppy Gustafsson OBE". GOV.UK. Retrieved 2024-10-10.
- ^ Johnson, Jamie (2019-03-08). "Darktrace's Poppy Gustafsson on how she built £1.26bn cyber security empire". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2024-10-11.
- ^ "Darktrace CEO Named 'Businesswoman of the Year' at UK Tech Awards 2019". www.summitpartners.com. Retrieved 2024-10-10.
 | This article about a politician is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |