Atlassian co-founder to take over from Robyn Denholm as Chair of Tech Council

The Tech Council of Australia has announced that Atlassian co-founder Scott Farquhar (pictured) will replace Tesla Chair and inaugural TCA Chair Robyn Denholm as head of the technology lobby group.

In a statement on Thursday, the TCA said Denholm will remain on its board after “after 3.5 years of significant growth and impact” under her leadership, and the transition to Farquhar “will take effect in late March”.

“I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved together— including our bipartisan jobs goal, critical changes to migration policy and my ongoing work on Australia’s R&D review,” said Denholm.

Separately, Denholm is currently leading the Strategic Examination of Research and Development (R&D) in Australia.

Farquhar – who is a founding member of the TCA and stepped down as co-CEO of Atlassian in September last year –  said he will continue “advocating for a thriving tech ecosystem”, which “lacked a unified national voice” for advocacy before the TCA’s founding in 2021.

He added that, “there is enormous potential to expand our advocacy in critical areas like digital infrastructure, consumer energy, and emerging technology. 

“I look forward to working closely with governments, industry leaders, and innovators to ensure Australia remains a world-class tech powerhouse.” 

Picture: credit Atlassian

Further reading

Robyn Denholm to lead national R&D review

We need to perform better in R&D – Ed Husic

Tech Council of Australia’s founding CEO to leave role in February

CSIRO maps Australia’s digital hotspots