Baroness Poppy Gustafsson CBE to join RUSI’s Board of Trustees
Baroness Poppy Gustafsson CBE has experience across both the technology sector and within government. She was Chief Executive Officer of Darktrace, the global cybersecurity firm she helped build from start-up to international scale, including a London Stock Exchange listing and multi-billion-pound acquisition. Under her leadership, Darktrace won numerous industry accolades. She was also named Tech Businesswoman of the Year and Vodafone’s Woman of the Year for Technology and Innovation and appointed to the Order of the British Empire for services to cyber security, later being promoted to Commander (CBE).
In October 2024, Poppy was appointed Minister of State for Investment jointly within HM Treasury and the Department for Business and Trade, bringing her deep private-sector experience to government to help strengthen the UK’s global investment appeal. She was created a life peer in the House of Lords as Baroness Gustafsson of Chesterton, where she continues to contribute to national policy discussions on innovation, digital security and economic growth.
RUSI Chairman, the Duke of Wellington said:
I am very pleased that Baroness Gustafsson is joining our Board. We look forward to working with her and her experience in technology and innovation will add immeasurably to our Board discussions.
His Grace the Duke of Wellington OBE DL
RUSI Chair
RUSI Director General Rachel Ellehuus added:
We are thrilled to welcome Poppy to our board of Trustees. Her experience in founding and scaling her own business, coupled with her expertise on high-growth technologies and the role of government policy in supporting them, will be major assets to RUSI. We are growing our work across the intertwined areas of technology and security and Poppy's expertise will be invaluable in doing so.
Rachel Ellehuus
RUSI Director-General
Speaking about her appointment, Poppy said:
I’m excited to be joining RUSI and looking forward to supporting the Institute in its critical work at the intersection of technology, national security and public policy. It is a fascinating time to be involved in the worlds of defence and security and I particularly want to help advance a constructive dialogue on the challenges and opportunities posed by emerging digital threats.
Baroness Poppy Gustafsson CBE
RUSI Trustee