Poppy Clare Veronica Gustafsson, Baroness Gustafsson, OBE (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.
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 United Kingdom |
| Political party | Labour |
| Spouse |
Joel Gustafsson (m. 2008) |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | University of Sheffield (BSc) |
Early life and education
editGustafsson was born Poppy Clare Veronica Prentis[1] on 24 August 1982 in the United Kingdom to John and Gilly Prentis.[2] Her father ran an agricultural-sales business, and her mother was a journalist for Farmers Weekly.[3] Growing up in Huntingdon, 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][4]
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.[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-CEO in 2016 and became the sole CEO in 2020.[6][7] 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.[8]
On 10 October 2024, Gustafsson was appointed to the government as Minister of State for Investment by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.[9] She was created a life peer as Baroness Gustafsson, of Chesterton in the City of Cambridge, on 15 November to allow her to sit in the House of Lords.[1]
Personal life
editIn 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][10] She lives in Cambridge as of 2020[update].[3]
Honours
editGustafsson was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2019 Birthday Honours for services to the cyber security industry.[11] She was named Tech Businesswoman of the Year at the 2019 UK Tech Awards.[12] In 2022, she was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science (DSc) degree by the University of Sheffield, her alma mater.[13]
References
edit- ^ 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 d 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.
- ^ Sweney, Mark; Hern, Alex (17 April 2021). "Poppy Gustafsson: the Darktrace tycoon in new cybersecurity era". The Guardian. 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.
- ^ "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.
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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