The UK tech industry today waved goodbye to one of its star CEOs after Darktrace co-founder Poppy Gustafsson announced she had stepped down as head of the cybersecurity firm with immediate effect.
Gustafsson took the helm of Darktrace in 2016 and oversaw the company’s initial public offering (IPO) on the London Stock Exchange in 2021.
Having spent more than 11 years at the company, Gustafsson will now step aside, following the announcement of the Cambridge-based firm’s acquisition by US private equity firm Thoma Bravo.
The company was bought by Thoma Bravo at a valuation of £4.2bn in a deal announced in April that will delist it from the London markets.
Darktrace COO Jill Popelka will take over as chief executive. Gustafsson will transition to a non-executive director on the Darktrace board.
“With the acquisition of Darktrace by Thoma Bravo nearing its completion and with us having identified an excellent successor in Jill, now is the right time to hand over the reins so Jill can lead Darktrace through its transition into private ownership and beyond,” said Gustafsson.
Popelka joined the company earlier this year, having previously held senior roles at Snapchat and enterprise software giant SAP.
Thoma Bravo partner Andrew Almeida said: “We are fully supportive of Poppy and the board’s succession plan. Jill is the perfect leader to build on Poppy’s tremendous legacy at Darktrace as it embarks on this next phase of its life.”
Read more: Why Darktrace’s US private equity deal isn’t all bad for UK tech
