Colette Kress has been named Nvidia’s interim CEO following the sudden departure of co-founder Jensen Huang, marking a major leadership change at the AI chipmaker. Kress, who has served as Nvidia’s chief financial officer for more than 13 years, will lead the company while its board searches for a permanent replacement.
According to Reuters, Huang is stepping down as CEO and leaving Nvidia’s board following reports of alleged extramarital affairs and an investigation into potential national security concerns.
Who Is Colette Kress?
Colette Kress, 59, is an experienced technology executive who joined Nvidia in September 2013 as executive vice president and chief financial officer.
Don’t miss the best of The Mac Observer
Set us as a preferred source and our Apple reporting ranks higher in your Google Search results and Discover feed — one tap, no account changes.
During her tenure, she helped oversee Nvidia’s financial operations as the company expanded from a graphics processor manufacturer into one of the world’s most valuable businesses, driven by demand for artificial intelligence infrastructure.
Kress has also become a familiar figure among Wall Street investors through Nvidia’s quarterly earnings calls, where she regularly discusses revenue, profitability, operating expenses, and business forecasts.
Her experience managing Nvidia’s finances and relationships with investors makes her a natural choice to provide stability during the leadership transition.
Colette Kress’s Education and Career Before Nvidia
Before joining Nvidia, Kress spent nearly 25 years working in financial leadership roles at several major technology companies.
According to her official Nvidia biography, her professional background includes:
- Cisco: Served for three years as senior vice president and CFO of Business Technology and Operations Finance, overseeing financial strategy and business planning.
- Microsoft: Spent 13 years at the company, including four years as CFO of its Server and Tools division.
- Texas Instruments: Held several financial management positions earlier in her career.
Kress earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Arizona and an MBA from Southern Methodist University.
What Will Colette Kress Do as Nvidia’s Interim CEO?
As interim CEO, Kress will oversee Nvidia’s operations while the board evaluates candidates for a permanent chief executive.
Her immediate responsibilities include maintaining investor confidence, managing relationships with major cloud customers, and keeping the company focused on its AI hardware roadmap.
Nvidia’s position in the industry depends heavily on its GPUs, CUDA software ecosystem, and networking technology, which power large-scale AI training and inference systems.
The leadership transition also comes as Nvidia shares face significant pressure following reports about Huang’s future.
Will Colette Kress Become Nvidia’s Permanent CEO?
Nvidia has not announced a permanent successor to Huang, and its board is considering both internal and external candidates.
Among the potential replacements is Ian Buck, a senior Nvidia engineering executive closely associated with CUDA and the company’s data center business.
For now, Kress will remain Nvidia’s interim chief executive while retaining her responsibilities as CFO, placing her in charge during one of the most important leadership transitions in the company’s history.
Discussion