Poppy Gustafsson

Gustafsson was born Poppy Clare Veronica Prentis on 24 August 1982 in Huntingdon, to John and Gilly Prentis. Her father ran an agricultural-sales business, and her mother was a journalist for Farmers Weekly. Growing up in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, she attended Hinchingbrooke School. 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.

In her early career, Gustafsson worked for the venture capital firm Amadeus Capital Partners. In 2009, she moved to Autonomy, working as a corporate controller until the company's acquisition by HP.

Gustafsson co-founded Darktrace in 2013 and initially held the position of chief financial officer. She subsequently took on the role of co-chief executive in 2016 and became the sole CEO in 2020. 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.

On 10 October 2024, Gustafsson was appointed to the government as Minister of State for Investment by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. 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.

On 5 September 2025, Gustafsson resigned as Minister, on the same day as Angela Rayner. Her position was reassigned in the 2025 British cabinet reshuffle.

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. She lives in Cambridge as of 2020.