Darktrace said yesterday it was “incredibly saddened” by the death of former executive Stephen Chamberlain, as the cybersecurity company’s backer Mike Lynch remained missing.
Chamberlain, 52, died after being hit by a car while jogging in Cambridgeshire on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Lynch, who backed the launch of Darktrace and remains one of its major shareholders, disappeared when his superyacht sank off the coast of Sicily.
Stephen Chamberlain, 52, died after being hit by a car while jogging in Cambridgeshire on Saturday.
The men were co-defendants in the US fraud trial over the sale of Lynch’s technology company, Autonomy, to US firm Hewlett Packard.
In June, a San Francisco jury acquitted both men of all 15 charges they faced. Lynch had been chief executive of Autonomy, while Chamberlain was vice president of finance at the tech company.
Lynch’s venture capital firm Invoke later backed Darktrace, where Chamberlain was COO.
A Darktrace spokesperson said: ‘We are incredibly saddened to hear of the tragic death of Steve Chamberlain, a substantial contributor to the team in its early years.
‘Steve was much loved by his colleagues and leaves behind many friends at Darktrace.
“We extend our deepest condolences to his wife Karen and the rest of his family, who are very much in our thoughts at this difficult time.”
His family described Chamberlain, 52, as “an incredible individual whose only goal in life was to help others in any way possible.”
Mike Lynch is still missing
His attorney, Gary Lincenberg, said: “He was a brave man with unparalleled integrity and we miss him deeply.”
‘He fought successfully to clear his good name, which lives on through his wonderful family.’
Darktrace did not comment on Lynch, 59, who was not involved in the running of the company. He and his wife Angela Bacares together owned just under 7 per cent of the company until earlier this year, when it agreed to be acquired by US private equity firm Thoma Bravo, putting them on track for a £290m payout.
Darktrace shareholders backed the deal in a June vote by 86 percent to 14 percent.
This cleared the way for the acquisition to be completed in the third or fourth quarter.
Shares in the company fell 0.3 per cent, or 1.6 pence, to 585.2 pence. The search for Lynch continued yesterday after his luxury yacht Bayesian sank.
He was one of six people missing, along with his 18-year-old daughter Hannah.
Also missing were senior city official Jonathan Bloomer (former CEO of the Prudential insurance company), his wife Judy, and American lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda.
The death of the chef on board the yacht, Recaldo Thomas, has been confirmed.
Lynch’s wife was among those rescued. Bloomer is chairman of investment bank Morgan Stanley International and Lloyd’s of London’s Hiscox insurance company.
He served on Autonomy’s board of directors and appeared as a defense witness at Lynch’s trial in San Francisco.
Hiscox chief executive Aki Hussain said: “We are deeply shocked and saddened by this tragic event.
‘Our thoughts are with all those affected, in particular our President, Jonathan Bloomer, and his wife Judy, who are among those missing, and with their families as they await further news of this terrible situation.’