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Poppy Gustafsson, Baroness Gustafsson
British businesswoman (born 1982) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Poppy Clare Veronica Gustafsson, Baroness Gustafsson, CBE (née Prentis; born 24 August 1982), is a British businesswoman and Labour Party life peer who has served as Minister of State for Investment since 2024.
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Early life and education
Gustafsson 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]
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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,[5] working as a corporate controller until the company's acquisition by HP.[6]
Gustafsson co-founded Darktrace in 2013 and initially held the position of chief financial officer.[5] She subsequently took on the role of co-chief executive in 2016 and became the sole CEO in 2020.[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]
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Personal life
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][10] She lives in Cambridge as of 2020[update].[3]
Honours and awards
Gustafsson 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 promoted to Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2025 New Year Honours.[12]
At the 2019 UK Tech Awards, Gustafsson was named Tech Businesswoman of the Year.[13] In 2022, she was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science (Hon DSc) degree by the University of Sheffield, her alma mater.[14]
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References
External links
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