Published: January 28, 2026 at 9:07 am
The CEO of Darktrace has stepped down after just 16 months, with reports suggesting that she has been forced out by the cyber giant’s private equity owner.
Jill Popelka, who described herself as a “long-term leader” to The Times recently, has been replaced by chairman Charles Goodman on an interim basis while it searches for a permanent successor.
Popelka joined the company as a non-executive director two years ago and was soon named COO. She then replaced co-founder Baroness Poppy Gustafsson, who served briefly as the Government’s Minister for Investment, as CEO around the time of Darktrace’s £4.3 billion acquisition by Thoma Bravo.
Popelka, who will remain as an adviser until a successor is found, is said to have been instrumental in moving Darktrace into a more professional organisation – such as moving sales from spreadsheets and into the Salesforce CRM.