Who is Colette Kress, Nvidia’s New Interim CEO? Finance Veteran Takes Over After Jensen Huang’s Resignation.

Nvidia has named longtime Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress as its interim CEO following the resignation of Jensen Huang, placing a veteran finance executive in charge of the artificial intelligence chipmaker after more than three decades under its co-founder.

In an official announcement Thursday, Nvidia confirmed that Huang had resigned as president, CEO and a member of its board, effective immediately. Kress will continue serving as executive vice president and CFO while leading the company on an interim basis until a permanent successor is appointed.

The board also appointed Harvey C. Jones, a longtime director and former Synopsys executive, as Nvidia's first chairman. The company said it had begun searching for a permanent CEO and would consider candidates from both inside and outside Nvidia.

The leadership change follows days of uncertainty over Huang's future and a board investigation into allegations involving his personal relationships and suspected Chinese intelligence connections. Nvidia previously said it had no reason to believe company secrets or national security had been compromised.

Kress, 59, has served as Nvidia's executive vice president and chief financial officer since September 2013, overseeing its finances during a period that transformed the company from a major graphics chip manufacturer into one of the world's most valuable technology businesses.

Before joining Nvidia, she spent nearly 25 years in financial management roles at Microsoft, Cisco Systems and Texas Instruments, building experience across enterprise software, networking and semiconductor businesses.

According to her official Nvidia biography, Kress previously spent three years as senior vice president and chief financial officer of Cisco's Business Technology and Operations Finance organization, where her responsibilities included financial strategy, planning, reporting and business development.

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 senior positions in corporate planning and finance during her time at the software company.

Kress began her career at Texas Instruments, where she spent eight years in various finance roles before moving to Microsoft in 1997. She holds a bachelor's degree in finance from the University of Arizona and an MBA from Southern Methodist University.

Kress joined Nvidia in September 2013, when the company was best known for graphics processors used in gaming computers and professional workstations.

In Nvidia's original appointment announcement, Huang praised her financial management experience and knowledge of the technology industry. She succeeded interim finance chief Karen Burns and assumed responsibility for the company's financial reporting, budgeting and investor relations.

Over the following 13 years, Nvidia became a central supplier of processors used to train and operate artificial intelligence systems, with major technology companies including Microsoft, Amazon, Google and Meta becoming important customers.

Its business expanded beyond graphics chips into data center processors, networking equipment and software supporting large-scale AI computing. As CFO, Kress became a familiar voice to Wall Street through Nvidia's quarterly earnings calls, discussing revenue growth, profit margins, demand for AI chips and the company's financial outlook.

Her public role expanded as investors increasingly scrutinized spending on AI infrastructure and the ability of major technology companies to sustain their purchases of Nvidia processors.

In a May interview with Fortune, Kress discussed the growing importance of AI computing and the investment required to build large-scale infrastructure. Fortune included her on its 2026 Most Powerful Women list, ranking her 49th.

Kress had emerged as a potential temporary replacement during discussions about Nvidia's leadership, with analysts pointing to her long tenure, knowledge of the company's finances and familiarity with major investors.

Before Thursday's confirmation, Reuters reported that several analysts considered her a natural interim choice because of her experience managing Nvidia's financial operations.

In its announcement, Nvidia's board highlighted Kress's role in the company's growth and her understanding of its customers, operations and financial position.

"Colette has helped lead NVIDIA through a period of extraordinary growth and has a deep understanding of our business, customers, operations and financial position," Jones said.

Kress has worked alongside Huang for more than a decade and has been closely involved in Nvidia's relationships with investors and major technology customers. Her appointment marks the first change in the company's chief executive since Huang co-founded Nvidia in 1993.

Kress will temporarily hold both the CEO and CFO positions, rather than handing over her finance responsibilities during the transition.

Nvidia's board has begun searching for a permanent chief executive and will consider internal and external candidates, according to the company's November 12 announcement. It has not identified any finalists or announced a timetable for completing the process.

Among the executives previously discussed as possible successors is Ian Buck, a longtime Nvidia engineer who helped develop CUDA, the software platform that allows developers to use graphics processors for computing tasks beyond graphics.

Other names discussed by analysts and investors include Arm CEO Rene Haas and Nvidia executive Jeff Fisher, although neither has been formally named as a candidate. The board has reportedly engaged an outside search firm to assist with the succession process.

Kress's appointment follows a sharp decline in Nvidia's share price during the controversy surrounding Huang. The company's shares fell more than 10% in premarket trading Thursday, adding to losses recorded earlier in the week.

In Thursday's statement, Kress said she was committed to building on the company Huang created over the previous 33 years.

"We will continue advancing the work that has made NVIDIA a leader in accelerated computing and AI, and execute on the opportunities ahead," she said.

Nvidia said its operations, customer commitments and product roadmap would continue without interruption. The company also confirmed that its third-quarter fiscal 2027 earnings would be released Tuesday, Nov. 17, at approximately 1:20 p.m. PT, followed by an earnings call at 2 p.m. PT.