LIFETIME OF ACHIEVEMENT IN CYBER
Poppy Gustafsson
We honour Poppy Gustafsson , CEO at Darktrace , for her dedication to improving the cyber threat landscape and her work to create global security solutions
WRITTEN BY : AMBER JACKSON
Ten years ago , Darktrace was founded in the UK with the goal of using AI to detect and neutralise cyber threats . Since then , under Poppy Gustafsson ’ s leadership , the company has experienced huge growth and global expansion , resulting in it being listed on the London Stock Exchange from 2021 .
A mathematician and cyber defence expert , 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 . In 2019 , she — along with Darktrace CTO Jack Stockdale — was awarded an Order of the British Empire ( OBE ) for services to cybersecurity .
Building a global cybersecurity company in the UK Gustafsson has led Darktrace to achieve a wide variety of accolades , such as being named Europe ’ s 9th ‘ Fastest Growing European Company ’ by The Financial Times , as well as ‘ Fastest Growing Super Scale-up ’ by Tech Tour .
The company works to deliver cybersecurity AI by delivering complete AI-powered solutions in its mission to rid the world of cyber disruption . Currently , its software protects thousands of customers worldwide from threats including ransomware , cloud vulnerabilities and software-as -a-service ( SaaS ) attacks .
The cybersecurity sector has become increasingly important , particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic , which sparked an unprecedented number of cyber attacks . Remote and hybrid workers continue to be targeted by elaborate scams and hacks as ‘ bad actors ’ work to steal and compromise value information .
Viewing AI as one of the most powerful tools available to modern businesses , Gustafsson has worked hard with her team to ensure that Darktrace ’ s self-learning
POPPY GUSTAFSSON TITLE : CEO COMPANY : DARKTRACE LOCATION : UNITED KINGDOM
Poppy Gustafsson OBE is CEO of Darktrace and was part of its founding team in 2013 . She is a qualified chartered accountant and holds a BSc in Mathematics from the University of Sheffield , where she was also awarded an honorary doctorate for her outstanding achievements in cybersecurity in 2022 .
14 November 2023