Nvidia after Huang: Who is interim CEO Colette Kress?

Nvidia finance chief Colette Kress is set to take over as interim CEO, the company said on Thursday.

Kress will take the reins as the company navigates the sudden departure of its co-founder and longtime CEO, Huang. Since the revelation of Huang's affair with an alleged Chinese spy, talks had been rife that the dynamic CEO would be ousted, and it happened on Thursday.

With this move, Kress is placed at the helm of the chipmaker whose processors power some of the world's most advanced supercomputers and AI data centres, as the company charts its course beyond its longtime leader.


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Here's what you need to know about Kress

Kress joined Nvidia in September 2013 as executive vice president and chief financial officer and has held the post since. She has appeared alongside Jensen Huang on the company's quarterly earnings calls.

Nvidia's revenue was $4.13 billion in the fiscal year she joined and $215.9 billion in fiscal 2026.

Before Nvidia, Kress spent eight years in finance roles at Texas Instruments, then worked at Microsoft from 1997 to 2010. At Microsoft, she became chief financial officer of the Server and Tools division in 2006, with responsibility for its financial strategy, planning and reporting.

She moved to Cisco in 2010 as senior vice president and chief financial officer of its Business Technology and Operations Finance organization, where she was responsible for financial strategy and business development. She left for Nvidia in 2013.

Also Read | Jensen Huang exits Nvidia after 33 years: What the company said about the shock move

Education and experience

Kress holds a bachelor of science degree in finance from the University of Arizona and a master of business administration degree from Southern Methodist University, according to Nvidia's annual report filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

She joined Nvidia after nearly 25 years in finance roles at major technology companies, Fortune reported in 2024. She told Fortune Nvidia was the smallest company she had worked for when she started there in 2013.

Wealth

Forbes ranks Kress No. 32 on its 2026 list of America's richest self-made women. Her shares in the chip firm were valued at roughly $750 million, as of Wednesday's close, down from more than $1 billion at the stock's peak last month.

(With inputs from Reuters)