Nvidia names CFO Colette Kress interim CEO after Jensen Huang resigns
In brief
- Colette Kress, Nvidia's 59-year-old CFO, was named interim CEO on Thursday, per a regulatory filing.
- Kress remains CFO while the board searches for a permanent replacement.
- Jensen Huang resigned amid reports of affairs and allegations involving a suspected Chinese intelligence operative.
- Nvidia's board said it has no reason to believe secrets or national security were compromised.
- Kress joined Nvidia in 2013, when annual revenue was about $4.13 billion, Decrypt reported.
A finance chief steps up
Kress will remain CFO while the board searches for a permanent replacement, per the filing. She's held the finance job since September 2013 (back when Nvidia was primarily known for graphics cards used in video games).
She arrived with nearly 25 years of financial experience at large U.S. technology companies. Kress spent eight years at Texas Instruments before joining Microsoft in 1997, and during a 13-year run there she became CFO of the Server and Tools division. In 2010 she moved to Cisco as senior vice president and CFO of its Business Technology and Operations Finance organization. She holds a finance degree from the University of Arizona and an MBA from Southern Methodist University.
Nvidia was the smallest company she'd ever worked for.
How she got there
According to Forbes, her two sons (gamers at the time) encouraged her to take the job. Wired reported that Huang recruited her personally, sketching out his vision for AI computing on a whiteboard.
The growth since then is stark. Nvidia's annual revenue was about $4.13 billion when Kress joined and reached $215.9 billion by fiscal 2026, Decrypt reported. Her tenure included the $6.9 billion acquisition of networking specialist Mellanox, and Nvidia invested another $2 billion in CoreWeave in January. She's also been the company's principal financial voice to Wall Street on earnings calls. Forbes ranked her among America's richest self-made women in 2026, with almost $750 million in Nvidia shares as of Wednesday's close.
The test ahead
Nvidia had already lost about $1.27 trillion in market value from its October peak before the board announced its investigation into Huang, according to Decrypt. Kress also inherits Washington's restrictions on advanced chip exports to China, plus scrutiny of Nvidia's commercial relationships.
Kress has promised to build on Huang's legacy, saying that “Nvidia's strength has always come from its people.”
Her first major public test arrives Tuesday, November 17, Decrypt reported.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Colette Kress?
Colette Kress is Nvidia's 59-year-old chief financial officer, named interim CEO on Thursday. She joined Nvidia in September 2013 after eight years at Texas Instruments, 13 years at Microsoft and a CFO role at Cisco, according to Decrypt.
Will Colette Kress still be Nvidia's CFO?
Yes. According to Nvidia's regulatory filing, as reported by Decrypt, Kress will remain CFO while the board searches for a permanent CEO replacement.
Why did Jensen Huang leave Nvidia?
Huang resigned amid reports of extramarital affairs and allegations involving a suspected Chinese intelligence operative, Decrypt reported. Nvidia's board said it has no reason to believe company secrets or U.S. national security were compromised.
