Nvidia has appointed longtime Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress as interim chief executive officer following the resignation of co-founder Jensen Huang, who led the company for 33 years. The leadership change announced on November 12 places Kress in charge of the AI chipmaker while its board searches for a permanent successor.
Huang resigned as president, CEO, and board member effective immediately following reports of extramarital relationships, including one involving a woman suspected of connections to Chinese intelligence and another involving a Nvidia executive. Kress will continue serving as executive vice president and chief financial officer while assuming her new responsibilities.
Colette Kress Brings Decades of Technology Finance Experience
According to Nvidia’s official biography, Kress joined the company in September 2013 and has overseen its financial operations throughout its expansion into artificial intelligence computing. Before joining Nvidia, she accumulated nearly 25 years of financial management experience across several major technology companies.
Kress previously spent three years as senior vice president and chief financial officer of Cisco’s Business Technology and Operations Finance organization. Her responsibilities included financial strategy, planning, reporting, and business development across Cisco’s engineering and operational divisions.
Before Cisco, she worked at Microsoft for 13 years, including four years as chief financial officer of its Server and Tools division. She also held finance positions at Texas Instruments and earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Arizona and an MBA from Southern Methodist University.
Kress, 59, has maintained a relatively limited public social media presence but regularly participates in Nvidia’s quarterly earnings calls. Her financial career has also contributed to substantial personal wealth, with Forbes estimating her net worth at approximately $1.2 billion.
Nvidia Begins Search for Permanent CEO
Kress assumes leadership of a company valued at approximately $3.8 trillion following Huang’s departure. Nvidia’s board has initiated a search involving internal and external candidates, with longtime director Harvey C. Jones appointed as its first board chair.
Jones said Kress possesses extensive knowledge of Nvidia’s operations, customers, and financial position after overseeing its finances during significant growth. He also expressed confidence in the existing management team’s ability to maintain business operations and product development.
In her first statement as interim CEO, Kress credited Nvidia’s employees and leadership team for the company’s development under Huang. She said her priorities include maintaining relationships with customers, partners, developers, and shareholders while continuing Nvidia’s work in accelerated computing and AI.
Nvidia is scheduled to report its third-quarter fiscal 2027 financial results on November 17, followed by an earnings conference call. Kress has regularly represented the company during earnings discussions in her capacity as CFO and will now participate as its interim chief executive.
Featured image credits: Nvidia Newsroom
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