Darktrace has appointed Ed Jennings as its third permanent chief executive in 18 months, as US private equity owner Thoma Bravo accelerates expansion plans. Jennings, previously head of Quickbase, replaces Charles Goodman, who served as interim CEO after Jill Popelka's departure. The cyber security group aims to boost US sales to half its total revenues.

Thoma Bravo acquired Darktrace in a £4.3bn deal and has pushed for aggressive US market penetration. The company plans to invest over $200mn in the US in 2026, marking an 11 per cent increase from last year. This expansion drive targets surpassing $1bn in revenues and competing with rivals like Palo Alto Networks and CrowdStrike.

Jennings brings relevant experience from his time as COO of Mimecast during its Nasdaq listing. The US-based executive's appointment aligns with Darktrace's strategy to deepen American market presence, including opening a new deployment center. Analysts speculate Thoma Bravo may eventually relist Darktrace in New York as an exit strategy, marking another chapter for the UK cyber security firm that went public in London in 2021.