SYDNEY, March 14 (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.