5 Things to Know About Nvidia’s Interim CEO – Colette Kress

Colette Kress has become Nvidia’s interim chief executive after Jensen Huang resigned as president, CEO, and board member on November 12, effective immediately. She will remain Executive Vice President and CFO until a permanent successor is named. Here are five things to know about her.

1. The appointment
Nvidia’s board announced on November 12 that Jensen Huang had resigned as president, CEO, and director, effective immediately. Kress will serve as interim CEO while remaining CFO until a permanent successor is named, and the board will consider internal and external candidates.

It also appointed Harvey C. Jones, a director since 1993, as its first-ever chair. Nvidia gave no reason for Huang’s exit. Axios noted that he was the only CEO the company had known. Nvidia will report third-quarter results on November 17, as scheduled.

“Colette has helped lead NVIDIA through a period of extraordinary growth and has a deep understanding of our business, customers, operations and financial position,” said Harvey Jones, Chair of the NVIDIA Board of Directors.

2. The journey
Kress began her career in finance at Texas Instruments, where she spent eight years. She joined Microsoft in 1997 and became CFO of its Server and Tools division in 2006. In 2010, she moved to Cisco as senior vice president and CFO of its Business Technology and Operations Finance organization. She joined Nvidia in September 2013 and has said it was the smallest company she had worked for at the time. She holds a finance degree from the University of Arizona and an MBA from Southern Methodist University.

3. The achievements
Kress has led Nvidia’s finance organization through its rise from a graphics-chip maker to a central supplier of AI computing. In fiscal 2026, the company reported revenue of USD 215.9 billion, up 65%. Her own fiscal 2026 pay was USD 14.34 million, mostly in stock awards, down from USD 21.36 million a year earlier. Huang’s was USD 36.34 million. She beneficially owned about 4.44 million Nvidia shares as of March 23, 2026.

4. Vision and mission
Kress has not set out a long-term vision as interim CEO, so this draws on her first statement. She said she is committed to building on “the extraordinary foundation Jensen created over the last 33 years” and to serving customers, partners, developers, and shareholders. Jones said the board expects operations, customer commitments, and the product roadmap to continue without interruption.

Kress said, “We will continue advancing the work that has made NVIDIA a leader in accelerated computing and AI, and execute on the opportunities ahead. Our focus remains on serving our customers, partners, developers and shareholders.” 

5. Why her?
This is a reading of the facts, not an official explanation. Kress has run Nvidia’s finances for 13 years, and the board describes her as having a deep understanding of its business, customers, operations, and financial position. Naming a sitting executive keeps the leadership team in place while the search runs. Axios reported that analysts see her as a possible permanent pick, but the board has not said so, and the search remains open.