Poppy Gustafsson, the longstanding CEO of Darktrace, has announced her immediate departure from the role. She will be succeeded by the company’s Chief Operating Officer (COO), Jill Popelka.
This transition follows a multibillion-dollar acquisition of the London Stock Exchange-listed company by the US private equity firm Thoma Bravo, a deal finalized in early 2024. Gustafsson, a mathematician educated at the University of Sheffield, was among the original team members recruited by Darktrace’s late founder, Mike Lynch, from Autonomy. She initially served as the company’s Chief Financial Officer for the first three years, then briefly took on the COO position before being appointed CEO in October 2016.
In her statement, Gustafsson expressed pride in her decade-long contribution to Darktrace and its achievements, emphasizing that the company has significantly transformed the cybersecurity landscape and has provided AI-driven technology to nearly 10,000 global customers. She underscored the personal and professional commitment required for her role and noted that with the acquisition approaching completion and the identification of a strong successor in Jill, it was the right time for her to step aside. Gustafsson plans to continue supporting Darktrace as a non-executive director following the acquisition, declaring herself its “number one fan.”
Popelka joined Darktrace in early 2024 as a non-executive director and became COO in June. With a 25-year career in the tech industry that includes significant roles at SAP and Snap Inc., she acknowledged the remarkable legacy Gustafsson has built and highlighted the tremendous potential for Darktrace. She emphasized the importance of their AI capabilities and the skilled workforce, particularly noting the impressive research and development teams based in Cambridge and The Hague. Popelka expressed excitement about collaborating with the Darktrace team to explore upcoming opportunities as they transition into this new phase.
Gustafsson has been a prominent figure in AI, recognized for her leadership of one of the UK’s most successful tech companies. She was appointed an OBE in 2019 and named Computer Weekly’s Most Influential Woman in UK Technology in 2021. She has often spoken about the importance of diverse skill sets in technology and encouraged individuals to embrace non-technical strengths as valuable assets in technical roles.
From its inception, Darktrace has focused on AI, and the recent rise of generative AI has further elevated its prominence in the industry. The company’s partnership with the Formula 1 team McLaren has also garnered mainstream attention. In the fall of 2023, Gustafsson participated in the UK’s AI Safety Summit at Bletchley Park, where she contributed to discussions on securing AI training datasets and the need for privacy-by-design approaches.
Reflecting on her commitment to the burgeoning AI sector, Gustafsson described her role as enabling organizations to navigate the potential risks and opportunities presented by AI. She identified herself as a strong advocate for the transformative possibilities of AI, which underpins all of Darktrace’s efforts.