By Rachael Levy and Byron Kaye
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Tesla chair Robyn Denholm has moved out of her role as operating partner at Australia’s biggest venture capital fund, Blackbird VC, people familiar with the situation said, while she remains a board member and adviser to the firm.
Sydney-based Denholm, who was appointed by the government last December to run a review of Australia’s research and development performance, had also said on Wednesday she was stepping down as chair of the Tech Council of Australia, a role she held since the industry group started in 2021. She will remain a board member there, as well.
A Tesla spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A spokesperson for Blackbird, asked about Denholm’s operating role, said she moved into her board member role in 2024 and continues to act as an adviser, but gave no further details.
Three people with knowledge of the situation said Denholm was no longer an operating partner of Blackbird VC, the venture fund behind some of Australia’s most successful startups, but gave no further details or reason for the move.
Blackbird’s website listed Denholm as an operating partner as recently as Wednesday, although that role had been removed as of Friday. Denholm’s LinkedIn page still listed her as Blackbird’s operating partner on Friday, while a profile of Denholm on the Tesla website also said she had been a Blackbird operating partner since January 2021.
When the venture capital firm announced Denholm’s appointment in 2021, it said her role would involve “going deep with a handful of our later stage companies”, including helping them to design operating systems, hire senior executive teams and manage partnerships.
The company has not announced any changes to Denholm’s role since.
Denholm has served since 2018 as chair of Tesla, which has become a target of political backlash since CEO Elon Musk took a high-profile role in the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Denholm was also among Tesla board members, including James Murdoch, who reached a court settlement worth up to $919 million that required they return compensation to the carmaker to resolve allegations they overpaid themselves.
(Reporting by Byron Kaye; Editing by Edmund Klamann)
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