Directorate Change
06/09/2024 07:00
For best results when printing this announcement, please click on link below:
http://newsfile.refinitiv.com/getnewsfile/v1/story?guid=urn:newsml:reuters.com:20240906:nRSF1551Da&default-theme=true
RNS Number : 1551D Darktrace PLC 06 September 2024
Directorate Change
Darktrace plc
6 September 2024
Darktrace plc ("Darktrace")
CEO Announcement
Poppy Gustafsson to step down as CEO of Darktrace; Jill Popelka appointed
successor
Darktrace plc (DARK.L), a global leader in cybersecurity AI, announces Poppy
Gustafsson will step down as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) with effect from
today and Jill Popelka, Darktrace's current Chief Operating Officer (COO), has
been appointed as her successor. Jill will assume the role of CEO and will
also be appointed to the Darktrace Board of Directors with effect from today.
Jill has more than two decades of experience of driving operational best
practices and maturing teams, systems and processes for fast-growing
businesses. She previously held senior leadership roles at leading global
technology businesses, including Accenture, Snap Inc and SAP SuccessFactors,
one of the largest enterprise cloud businesses in the world, which she led as
President. Jill joined Darktrace in January 2024 as a Non-Executive Director,
before assuming her current role of COO at Darktrace on 1 June 2024.
Poppy Gustafsson, outgoing CEO of Darktrace, said: "Darktrace has been a huge
part of my life and my identity for over a decade and I am immensely proud of
everything we have achieved in that time. Together we have revolutionised the
marketplace for cyber security and brought our AI-powered technology to almost
10,000 customers around the world, keeping them safe from cyber disruption.
This challenge has required tremendous personal and professional commitment
from me. 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. I am profoundly grateful to
have had the privilege of leading such an exceptional team and I look forward
to remaining engaged in this exciting next chapter of the business as a
non-executive director after the transaction completes. I remain Darktrace's
number one fan."
Gordon Hurst, Chairman of Darktrace, said: "Poppy is a remarkable leader who
has grown and nurtured one of the UK's proudest technology success stories.
Under Poppy's stewardship, the business has transformed from a promising
collaboration of AI and intelligence experts to a high-growth global leader in
cyber security. This has been reflected in the significant value Darktrace has
created for its shareholders under Poppy's leadership since its IPO in 2021
and through the acquisition by Thoma Bravo, one of the world's leading
investors in software businesses.
"Jill is a proven and highly regarded leader in global technology businesses
who has contributed immensely to the Board and more recently in her role as
COO. With Poppy stepping down, the Board has implemented its CEO succession
plan and is delighted that Jill has accepted the role of CEO. She has the deep
sector experience, people leadership skills and energy and passion to lead
Darktrace into the next stage of its journey."
Jill Popelka, incoming CEO of Darktrace, said: "Poppy and the team have built
something very special. The potential of Darktrace is enormous - our
technology has never been more critical to organisations around the world and
our AI-native capabilities position us at the forefront of the ever-changing
cyber security market. We have an outstanding platform offering, a broad base
of customers across the globe, and some of the most talented people working in
technology, not least our remarkable R&D teams based in Cambridge and The
Hague. I am excited to partner with the whole Darktrace team to take
advantage of the many opportunities we have ahead of us as we embark on this
next phase of our journey."
Andrew Almeida, Partner at Thoma Bravo, 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 given her immense experience of scaling and maturing fast-growing
businesses. She cares deeply about people, about serving customers and about
creating a company with a sense of mission and purpose at its core. We look
forward to working with Jill and the wider team to help elevate Darktrace's
place as the essential cybersecurity platform for the changing threat
landscape."
The acquisition of Darktrace by Thoma Bravo continues to progress as
anticipated. All antitrust and regulatory approvals have now been received,
with the exception of one foreign regulatory approval, which is currently
anticipated by 28 September 2024. Per the transaction timetable, Darktrace
will seek the UK court's sanction of the transaction as soon as this final
regulatory approval has been received, with the closing of the transaction
expected shortly afterwards.
This announcement is made in accordance with the notification requirement in
UKLR 6.4.6R and there are no other disclosures that need to be made under UKLR
6.4.8R relating to the appointment of Jill Popelka.
Enquiries
Candice Macdonald - Darktrace
Direct: +44 7502 494139
candice.macdonald@darktrace.com (mailto:candice.macdonald@darktrace.com)
Luk Janssens - Darktrace
Luk.janssens@darktrace.com (mailto:Luk.janssens@darktrace.com)
Henry Wallers - Headland
Direct: +44 7876 562436
hwallers@headlandconsultancy.com (mailto:hwallers@headlandconsultancy.com)
https://ir.darktrace.com/governance/s430-2b-companies-act-2006
(https://ir.darktrace.com/governance/s430-2b-companies-act-2006)
About Poppy Gustafsson
· Poppy was part of the team of mathematicians, business people and
intelligence experts who founded Darktrace in 2013 and brought its AI-powered
cybersecurity solutions to market.
· Under her leadership, the company has seen significant growth and
global expansion. It now employs over 2,400 people, operates in 110 countries
and serves close to 10,000 customers.
· During this time, breakthrough innovations from Darktrace's R&D
teams have resulted in over 200 patent applications filed.
· Darktrace listed on the London Stock Exchange in 2021 and, during its
time on the public markets, increased its market capitalisation from £1.7bn
to £4.1bn (as at 5 September 2024).
· Poppy was honoured with an OBE for services to cybersecurity in
2019. She has also won a number of accolades as CEO including Tech CEO of
the Year at the UK Tech Awards 2021.
· Poppy is a chartered accountant and in 2022, she received an honorary
Doctor of Science degree from the University of Sheffield for her "outstanding
achievements in the field of Cyber Security".
· Poppy lives in Cambridge and is a mother to two daughters, aged 12
and 8.
About Jill Popelka
· Jill joined Darktrace in January 2024 as an independent Non-Executive
Director. In May 2024, Jill stepped down from the Board of Directors to assume
the role of Chief Operating Officer.
· Jill has more than two decades of experience of driving operational
best practices and maturing teams, systems and processes for fast-growing
businesses.
· Jill previously served as the Head of Enterprise Services at Snap
Inc. Prior to joining Snap in 2022, Jill was President of SAP SuccessFactors,
where she was responsible for strategy, customer success, and the overall
health of the business unit.
· Before Jill's appointment as President of SAP SuccessFactors, she
served as the company's Chief Operating Officer, overseeing all aspects of the
business units' operations.
About Darktrace
Darktrace, a global leader in cybersecurity artificial intelligence, is on a
mission to free the world from cyber disruption. Breakthrough innovations from
our R&D teams in Cambridge, UK, and The Hague, Netherlands have resulted
in over 200 patent applications filed. Rather than study historic attacks,
Darktrace's technology continuously learns and updates its knowledge of your
business data and applies that understanding to help transform security
operations to a state of proactive cyber resilience. The Darktrace ActiveAI
Security Platform™ provides a full lifecycle approach to cyber resilience
that can autonomously spot and respond to known and unknown in progress
threats within seconds across the entire organisation, including cloud, apps,
email, endpoint, network and operational technology (OT). Darktrace employs
over 2,400 people around the world and protects close to 10,000 customers
globally from advanced cyber threats. To learn more, visit
http://www.darktrace.com (http://www.darktrace.com) .
This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact
rns@lseg.com (mailto:rns@lseg.com)
or visit
www.rns.com (http://www.rns.com/)
.
RNS may use your IP address to confirm compliance with the terms and conditions, to analyse how you engage with the information contained in this communication, and to share such analysis on an anonymised basis with others as part of our commercial services. For further information about how RNS and the London Stock Exchange use the personal data you provide us, please see our
Privacy Policy (https://www.lseg.com/privacy-and-cookie-policy)
. END BOAUVRURSBUKRUR