Poppy Gustafsson at a tech conference in London. He is actively involved with KKRs investments in Darktrace, OutSystems, KnowBe4, GetYourGuide, Ivalua, Trainline, ClickTale, Optimal+, and Travelopia. He would also ask staff from various offices for daily sales updates (something Darktrace disputes) and helped develop sales strategy, according to former employees, one of whom said that was the case up until at least mid-2017. As a $5 billion civil fraud suit brought by HP in the U.K. rumbles on, the U.S. has pressed ahead with criminal charges in what prosecutors say is the largest fraud case in the history of the Northern District of California. For a full comparison of Standard and Premium Digital, click here. On 6 March 2022, Darktrace opened with a share value of 6.46, with a market cap of 3.43 billion. The company was established in 2013 and is headquartered in Cambridge, England, and San Francisco, California, United States. He was quite the role model. Poppy Gustafsson, co-CEO of Darktrace, is a qualified chartered accountant and former CFO of the cybersecurity firm. Poppy Gustafsson is the chief executive officer for EMEA of the cyber defense company Darktrace. A member of our team will be in touch with you shortly. university In fact, she accompanied the UK Prime Minister Theresa May, to India on a trade mission recently. There is no reasonwhy would you want to do that? Poppy Gustafsson OBE serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Darktrace, which under her leadership, has reached a $1.65 billion valuation in less than five years. Leaning in and speaking with complete passion, she says: I find it absolutely fascinating that they will look back and the most antiquated piece of technology that they could possibly imagine is smartphones., Taking a moment to pour a last cup of tea, she adds: How exciting is that?, The Telegraph values your comments but kindly requests all posts are on topic, constructive and respectful. Achieving unicorn status in 2018, in 2020 Darktrace has offices across Europe, North America, the Middle East, Asia and Latin America. I have realised how important it is for people to come in and feel like they are just part of a team.. A recognised leader and award winner in the cybersecurity industry, we take a look at Poppy Gustafsson OBE, CEO at Darktrace. Two ex-colleagues say he was an imposing figure in the room. But, just a month after the drinks, Darktrace says it learned of a formal allegation of sexual harassment made against Hussain. Talis Capital led the company's Series A in 2015. And Im a firm believer that people are innocent until proven otherwise, says Gustafsson. James qualified as a solicitor at Linklaters in 2001 before working in the corporate department there for several years advising blue chip clients on major transactions. Pauls previous roles include CFO of the online food marketplace Just Eat plc, Group CFO of software company The Sage Group plc, both FTSE 100 businesses, and CFO of data solutions company WANdisco plc. Jody Scheckter is married to Clare, and they have six children together: Toby, Tomas, Hugo, Freddie, Ila, and Poppy. Breaking banks teamed up with the creative finance team to create an episode that would bring some of the critical thinking that was presented at the conference. Poppy Gustafsson founded Darktrace, a UK startup that uses artificial intelligence to address cybersecurity issues, with a team of mathematicians, technology specialists, and former intelligence agents. [10], In April 2021, Darktrace listed on the London Stock Exchange with a market value of circa 2.5 billion. He is currently Chief Operating Officer and Executive Director at Ascential plc, a FTSE 250 data and analytics company. As the CFO and I paid the 15 to incorporate the company five-and-a-half years ago and it was my job to build a business around these brilliant but disparate groups of people.. Lord Willetts served as a Member of Parliament from 1992 to 2015. With over 20 years experience of software engineering, Jack is responsible for overseeing the development of Bayesian mathematical models and artificial intelligence algorithms that underpin Darktraces award-winning technology. It really feels like we are just getting started, she says. "Beforehand, security was about keeping the bad guys . It could be an organised criminal ring, especially with things like bitcoin. In 2005 he joined BPs in-house M&A legal team, before going on to join online food delivery company Just Eat plc in 2013, where he was instrumental in its transformation from pre-IPO business to the FTSE 100 and in subsequently navigating its merger with Takeaway.com. However, he remained on its advisory council until last month, when he moved to a newly created science and technology council. You could grind a city to a halt if you switch off a power supply - look at what happened in Ukraine. 10 Policy Unit. Gustafsson has just been nominated for the New Generation prize at the Veuve Clicquot Business Woman awards. From this evolving understanding of 'normal', it can then detect potential threats as they emerge in real time. facing extradition to the US on fraud charges, the most recent injection coming from Vitruvian Partners. She and the other founder were named team of the year 2017. She is a qualified chartered accountant and holds a BSc in Mathematics from the University of Sheffield, where she was also awarded an honorary degree in Doctor of Science in recognition of outstanding achievements in the field of Cyber Security in 2022. Prior to TCV, Mr. Shanley was with the TMT investment banking group of Needham & Company and started his career in the transaction services group of KPMG. She was named CEO of the Year at the 2021 Digital Masters Awards and Tech CEO of the Year at the UK Tech Awards 2021. First, he has skin in the game. Oops! Han joined Summit Partners in 2004 and today manages the firms London office. For cost savings, you can change your plan at any time online in the Settings & Account section. Premium access for businesses and educational institutions. Nicole identifies and shapes Darktraces strategic plan, leads the Companys AI vision together with our CTO, and provides product strategy and direction. She was named CEO of the Year at the 2021 Digital Masters Awards and Tech CEO of the Year at the UK Tech Awards 2021. During your trial you will have complete digital access to FT.com with everything in both of our Standard Digital and Premium Digital packages. The founders of Darktrace including Poppy Gustafsson have been named the Team of the Year at the Awards held in London at the Dorchester. The truth is that for the right type of personality, Read More The Five Most Profitable Direct Sales Companies in the WorldContinue. Mike Lynch and Sushovan Hussain were accused of falsifying financial facts and documents in the run-up to an $11bn sale of Lynch's software company Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard in 2011. "This is a personal matter for one individual associated with one of its investors.. He has served on the boards of 12 international companies including Sony, Ericsson and AstraZeneca. We have done so much and the technology has come so far, it feels like we have been doing it forever. While guiding Darktrace on its meteoric rise into becoming a global leader, she had two children, now aged three and six. But he does, albeit indirectly, via ICP Darktrace Holdings, part of Invoke Capital, wherehe is still employed. Poppy Gustafsson runs a cutting-edge and gender-diverse cybersecurity firm on the brink of a 3bn stock market debut, but she is happy to reference pop culture classic the Terminator to help describe what Darktrace actually does. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Allow notifications. Poppy Gustafsson's Tweets. I found myself arms crossed feeling like I wasnt part of it. To be nominated gives what we do great validation, she says. CAMBRIDGE, England, Nov. 18, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Darktrace, a global leader in cyber security AI, announced that CEO Poppy Gustafsson OBE has received the 'CEO of the Year' award at the Digital . For Gustafsson, being a female entrepreneur in a male-dominated industry brought it own challenges. So embedded was Hussain in Darktrace culture that he appeared in amusing video skits designed to galvanize staff during yearly sales meetups at grand locations. Everyone was just, like, what the hell is this? the former employee adds. His previous board and investment experience includes 360T Group (acquired by Deutsche Brse), Acturis Limited (acquired by Astorg), Multifonds (acquired by Temenos), SafeBoot (acquired by McAfee) and Welltec International (acquired by Exor and 7 Industries). The funds would be used to accelerate the global rollout and bring significant, strategic, value and knowledge to the team. Cathy Graham is Darktraces Chief Financial Officer. [28] In 2022, Darktrace won the AI & Machine Learning Award[29] at the 2022 Go:Tech Awards. Prior to that Patrick spent over 15 years at Dresdner Kleinwort ultimately as Co-head and then Chair of Global Debt Origination. But for the people who ran the network there was a huge risk, because those types of websites are huge for introducing malware into organisations.. Maxs insights are regularly featured in international media outlets such as the BBC, Forbes and WIRED. Through this period Gordon was instrumental in managing acquisitions, large outsourcing deals, and building a team of commercially-focused Finance Directors to enable continued development of the business. He was Minister for Universities and Science within the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills from 2010 to 2014, and previously held roles within HM Treasury and the No. Gustafsson admits she no longer knows the names and faces of all Darktrace's employees, over 700 to be exact, due to its fast growth. First published on Fri 21 Apr 2023 06.26 EDT. Poppy Gustafsson Retweeted. One round-up . Five years feels incredibly quick to have got this far but also it feels like a very long time. Co-founder Nicole Eaganwas recently dragged into controversy surrounding one of its early investors, Mike Lynch, who is facing extradition to the US on fraud charges over the multi-billion pound sale of his software business Autonomy to HP in 2011. She then qualified as an accountant at Deloitte before working for Amadeus Capital, the venture capital firm run by ARM Holdings founder Hermann Hauser. Sir Peters prior positions include CEO of BT Group, Chairman and CEO of ICL plc and Deputy CEO of STC plc. Under her leadership, the company has experienced significant growth and global expansion, and listed on the London Stock Exchange in 2021. Any changes made can be done at any time and will become effective at the end of the trial period, allowing you to retain full access for 4 weeks, even if you downgrade or cancel. Both Gustafsson and Eagan also wrote letters to the judge in support of Hussain, each describing him as a close, long-term friend and respected business partner. personalising content and ads, providing social media features and to or You may change or cancel your subscription or trial at any time online. By design or not, Gustafsson, who was awarded an OBE last year for her contribution to cybersecurity, has proved to be something of a gender stereotype-breaker for much of her life. Sushovan Hussain, a former Darktrace board member and one-time confidante of the firms co-ceos, is Sushovan Hussain, a former Darktrace board member and one-time confidante of the firms co-ceos, is appealing a 5-year prison sentence for his role in the disastrous HP-Autonomy deal. His daughter was given a three-week internship at Darktrace in the summer of 2018. In 1836, he was born in Aio-cho, Honjo, Edo, as the second son of the Shogunate vassal Sekiguchi Takafune. They say Hussain was worth at least $60 million and likely much more, noting Lynch had bestowed on his old finance chief 193,188 shares of ICP Darktrace Holdings worth approximately $58 million and 215,000 shares of ICP Holdings that may be worth even more. (Hussains legal team disputes the valuation, saying the shares were effectively worthless because sales of them were severely restricted and the government itself has, by its threats and allegations, made it impossible for Mr. Hussain monetize his shares.) Hussain sold some of those ICP Darktrace Holdings shares to Lynch in 2018 and 2019 to pay legal fees and deposited $182,627 with the California Northern District Court to get bail, though he can expect them back as long as he doesnt flee the country. Sir Peter is an elected Fellow of The Royal Academy of Engineering. Predicting attacks in the present day is just as difficult. Cheek, who was promoted to senior vice president of sales in March 2017, even credits Hussain with helping him become the number two employee at Darktrace and that he was involved in my every decision, before praising the then-alleged fraudsters leadership at the cybersecurity firm. Launched in Cambridge eight years ago by an unlikely alliance of mathematicians, former spies from GCHQ and the US and artificial intelligence (AI) experts, Darktrace provides protection, enabling businesses to stay one step ahead of increasingly smarter and dangerous hackers and viruses. Cathy has more than two decades of professional experience in financial disciplines and has served at the helm of several businesses throughout periods of rapid growth and capital structure evolution. Poppy Gustafsson regrets the fact that she didnt devote more time to practicing piano when she was young. The company also claims details of the anecdote described by the sources are false, though it refuses to specify which details. [13], There has been criticism about the company's technology and its founding investor by short-seller Matthew Earl, head of the Shadowfall fund, and analysts Peel Hunt. Capita plc has a turnover of c4.5bn, employs 65,000 people, and spans numerous markets and sectors including Financial Services and Banking. He had a long and distinguished career in the intelligence community, working overseas developing cutting-edge capabilities to defend national interests against a range of threats. Poppy Gustafsson is the Chief Executive Officer of Darktrace plc. and venture capital sectors. Attacks are getting faster and they are getting more sophisticated. Some ex-employees chafed at the response, noting it took around half a year from the first allegation about Cheek in summer 2017 to his ousting. According to their account, he told her that he and other members of staff were looking forward to seeing you bend over in that dress., Darktrace investigated, conducting 20 interviews over two weeks into the claims that led it to a decision in February 2018 to part ways with Cheek. Garrett by trade is a personal finance freelance writer and journalist. Under her leadership, the company has experienced significant growth and global expansion, with 5,500 customers and 1,600 employees worldwide. Today, her team is fighting a war on many fronts and the threats that nations and companies face are complex and ever-changing. In this video from Computer Weekly's annual diversity event, in partnership with Spinks, Poppy Gustafsson, CEO of Darktrace, gives her . Name. The case discusses how Poppy Gustafsson (Gustafsson) (she), Cofounder and Chief Executive Officer of Darktrace plc, one of the world's largest cyber-AI companies, is reinventing enterprise security by using artificial intelligence (AI) to detect and respond to cyberthreats to businesses and protect the public. However he does like to take on other topics involving some of his personal interests like automobiles, future technologies, and anything else that could change the world. Last year, Darktrace used $127m of a loan from several existing investors to reduce Invokes share holding. She also complained that despite the female-led success of Darktrace, when the company is written about, the only name that seems to get mentioned is the founder, Mike Lynch. Over the same period Darktrace claims its seen a 74% increase in customers and claims its making preparations for an as-yet unconfirmed IPO. Prior roles also include financial . Gain a global perspective on the US and go beyond with curated news and analysis from 600 Poppy is a qualified chartered . According to the Financial Times list of 1,000 fastest growing companies in Europe last year, Darktrace was ninth, ballooning in size by 4,829 per cent. Keeping up with the demand is the most challenging part of her job. In my time here at Darktrace, Ive seen attackers try [to] use things like Teslas parked in the office car park, [internet-connected] fish tanks in casinos, and fingerprint scanners on the doors of warehouses, all as a sort of new and novel way into businesses.. Nick is part of the founding team at Darktrace, previous to which he led a cyber security consultancy advising large business on their cyber risk, and has been a speaker and coach on the topic of economic espionage. This presents an opportunity for a foreign interruption. Poppy Gustafsson sits at the apex of a global cybersecurity organisation worth $1.65bn, with 40 offices, 900 staff and 2,500 clients. [18], Darktrace's product uses unsupervised (in particular) machine learning techniques to build an intrinsic "pattern of life" for every network, device, and user within an organisation. Standard Digital includes access to a wealth of global news, analysis and expert opinion. Poppy Gustafsson sits at the apex of a global cybersecurity organisation worth $1.65bn, with 40 offices, 900 staff and 2,500 clients.. As CEO and one of the founders of Darktrace, she works with . Twitter View on Twitter. Yet, the proverbial pot of gold awaits Hussain at the end of any sentence the court may impose.. Poppy is a co-founder of Darktrace, the worlds leading artificial intelligence company for cyber defence, which under her leadership has reached a $1.65 billion unicorn valuation in under five years, as well as being named Europes Fastest Growing Super Scale-up by Tech Tour. In August, through partnership with Samsung SDS, Darktrace got a huge validation to their technology that would propel growth in Asia. With over 10 years experience he's covered businesses, CEOs, and investments. I see that hes able to undertake his job. Paul has held senior positions at several high growth, public technology companies in the UK and internationally. Poppy Gustafsson is the chief executive officer for EMEA of the cyber defense company Darktrace. Invoke confirms it has helped Hussain with accommodation costs, maintains he is innocent, and says it willsupport him through his appeal. She has prior experience in financial controller positions in the technology and venture capital sectors and was named City A.M.s Entrepreneur of the Year 2017. While Gustafsson is likely to be worth at least 20m from the flotation of the business, which has almost 5,000 customers ranging from the NHS to Coca-Cola, she has also become something of a gender diversity champion in the male-dominated tech world. Poppy is a qualified chartered accountant and previously served as the companys CFO. The result was to falsely overstate Autonomys revenue by as much as 20% over a period of several years, greatly inflating the amount HP paid for the company. Stephen Shanley joined KKR in 2014 and is head of KKRs Technology Growth Equity business in Europe. When living in Germany, he was an active member of the Chaos Computer Club. After having a successful commercial career, he moved to the UK in 1996. That holdings business has the largest stake in Darktrace at 39.5%. Darktrace is a world leader in Autonomous Cyber AI, having created the first, at-scale deployment of artificial intelligence for the enterprise. The culture in the California office was troubled, according to eight former Darktrace employees. In 2001, he became chief financial officer and president at Autonomy, a Cambridge-based business that crunched so-called big data for clients like Coca-Cola, Ford and the U.S. military. IN A shock result, previously undefeated league leaders Saitama Wild Knights lost 44-25 to Shizuoka Blue Revs, snapping their win streak at 14 games from the opening round of the season. VIDEO 2:08 02:08. It really does feel like were in this new era of cybersecurity, says Gustafsson, the chief executive of Darktrace. The rise of state-sponsored attacks has made Gustafsson acutely aware of just how reliant countries are on their national infrastructure running smoothly. Weve never been happy with just sort of following the status quo and doing things, you know, 2% better than the last product. We have built this hugely successful company, says Gustafsson, of her and Eagans leadership. Together with Darktrace CTO Jack Stockdale, Poppy was awarded an OBE for services to cyber security in 2019. For her, satisfying the demand for immune system technology on a global dais is no small task. Mount Fuji (Photo: Blue Mountain - Reginald Pentinio / CC BY 2.0) Almost synonymous with Japan, the world-renowned Mount Fuji is a true natural treasure and icon of the country. Poppy needs to keep a personal connection with every employee, which is very challenging due to their huge numbers. In January 2022, Earl questioned Darktrace's model and culture, warning clients that the company's model was "watery-thin", based more on sales style than business substance. Behavior analytics tools for cybersecurity move into enterprises. BI Prime: Poppy Gustafsson is the 35-year-old CEO of Cambridge-based cybersecurity firm Darktrace, which was recently valued at $1.65 billion. The Autonomy connection persists today; half of Darktraces board and six of its eight top executives are ex-Autonomy folks, which included Gustafsson (ex-corporate controller) and co-CEO Nicole Eagan (ex-chief marketing officer). [2][4] It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index. Andrew Bialecki is an American businessman and entrepreneur leading the company Klaviyo as its chief executive officer. He holds a first-class degree in Computer Science from the University of Plymouth. Lynch, with his wife, Angela Bacares, currently owns 19% of Darktrace, worth as much as 570m when the company floats. She was the winner of the Veuve Clicquot Business Woman Awards 2019, and recognized in Management Todays 35 Women Under 35 list in 2018, whose alumnae include Martha Lane Fox and Karen Blackett. She previously directed global communications at Logica, a multinational IT and business consultancy company listed on the London Stock Exchange. Darktrace's technology . She spearheaded the Samsung SDS partnership. Change the plan you will roll onto at any time during your trial by visiting the Settings & Account section. Though Hussain officially departed Darktrace shortly before he was charged in November 2016, interviews with more than 25 current and former employees reveal his lasting and sometimes troubling influence on the rapidly growing cybersecurity firm. Like Hussain, both Lynch and Chamberlain have been deeply involved in Darktraces development. Find out more, The latest offers and discount codes from popular brands on Telegraph Voucher Codes, Poppy Gustafsson,CEO and one of the founders of Darktrace, Gustafsson says there has been a rise inpeople hacking into networks purely with the objective of using their processing power to harvest bitcoin, Shares in Alphawave suspended after warning over tech champion's accounts, Alcohol tea maker and vegan energy bars among failures in Sunaks Covid start-up fund, Boost for Mark Zuckerberg as Facebook-owner Meta breaks year-long slump, How red tape is wrecking dreams of a British Silicon Valley, West must unite against Chinas autocratic AI, warns Clegg, global cybersecurity organisation worth $1.65bn. Her extensive career in technology spans 30 years working for Oracle and early to late-stage growth companies. Darktrace. Gustafsson and Eagan say they have little interaction with Hussain today, though the former acknowledges his early influence. If hes extradited, Lynch will at least be close to his old business partner of 15 years, Hussain, whose own appeal campaign in San Francisco is under way. Cheek denies all allegations and insists the claims are fabricated. Because Hussain wasnt an employee of Darktrace at the time, the company says it passed its findingswhich it declined to give Forbeson to Invoke Capital, where Hussain (whose lawyers also declined to comment) was employed. In her talk, she discusses why humans are vulnerable to attackers, how hackers are becoming increasingly innovative and ultimately how cyber AI can help us invent ourselves out of the problem. Darktrace co-CEO Gustafsson stresses the company will not tolerate sexual harassment of our employees.. His absence is a huge loss, not just to the business world, but to the many young men and women that are starting out in their professional careers that will no longer be able to access his generosity of experience, wrote Gustafsson. If you do nothing, you will be auto-enrolled in our premium digital monthly subscription plan and retain complete access for $69 per month. She attended the 2017 innovative finance summit. Gustafsson, whose choice of transport is a canary yellow Vespa and has said her one regret is not putting more time into learning the piano, is laser-focused on ensuring Darktrace has a legacy all its own. watch now. Patrick is Managing Director of Anthem Corporate Finance Limited, an independent, privately-owned financial services firm that provides financial advisory, M&A and strategic advisory services to companies worldwide, which he co-founded in 2002. Darktrace employs more than 1,500 staff globally, of which 40% are female including at management level a rarity against an industry average of just 15%.