Key insights
- NVIDIA has appointed CFO Colette Kress as interim CEO following Jensen Huang's resignation. Kress, with over 13 years at NVIDIA and extensive experience at Cisco and Microsoft, is seen as deeply knowledgeable about the company's operations and strategy. Analysts view her as influential beyond her CFO role, suggesting a smooth transition for the AI chip giant.
Investing.com -- NVIDIA has appointed longtime Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress as interim CEO following the shock resignation of Jensen Huang, who led the chipmaker for 33 years.
Kress, 59, has spent more than 13 years at NVIDIA and is regarded as one of its most influential executives, with deep knowledge of the company's operations, financial strategy and relationships with major customers.
She joined NVIDIA in September 2013, following nearly 25 years in finance roles at major technology companies, including Cisco, Microsoft and Texas Instruments.
Before NVIDIA, Kress spent three years as a senior vice president and finance chief at Cisco, overseeing financial strategy, planning and business development. She previously worked at Microsoft for 13 years, including four as CFO of its Server and Tools division.
She holds a bachelor's degree in finance from the University of Arizona and an MBA from Southern Methodist University.
During her tenure, NVIDIA transformed from a company primarily associated with gaming graphics cards into the dominant supplier of AI computing infrastructure. Its annual revenue surged from just over $4 billion in fiscal 2013 to nearly $216 billion in fiscal 2026.
Kress has also become a familiar face to Wall Street, regularly appearing alongside Huang on quarterly earnings calls, discussing financial performance, customer demand, supply constraints and the company's outlook.
Despite her CFO title, analysts say her influence has extended well beyond financial management.
"She's more than just a CFO," Dan Ives, an analyst at Yorkville Ives & Co., told CNBC, describing her as more of a chief operating officer.
Ives called Kress a "Swiss Army knife" for NVIDIA, saying she was closely involved in strategic decisions spanning technology, customers and partnerships.
Still, succeeding Huang presents an extraordinary challenge.
Unlike Kress, Huang was an engineer and founder who remained deeply involved in product development, technology decisions and NVIDIA's long-term strategy. His management structure also left the company without a traditional second-in-command.
Kress acknowledged the challenge in Thursday's announcement, saying she was committed to building on the "extraordinary foundation Jensen created over the last 33 years."
Newly appointed board chairman Harvey Jones expressed confidence in Kress, citing her understanding of NVIDIA's customers, operations and finances.
Her appointment is interim, with the board considering both internal and external candidates for the permanent CEO position. Kress will retain her CFO responsibilities during the transition.
The leadership shakeup comes amid mounting controversy surrounding Huang's reported extramarital affairs, including one involving a Chinese businesswoman suspected by U.S. authorities of having intelligence ties to Beijing.
The allegations prompted an independent board investigation and ultimately preceded Huang's departure. NVIDIA shares plunged more than 12% in early Thursday trading as investors assessed the implications of losing the executive most closely associated with the AI boom.
Kress now faces her first major test almost immediately, with NVIDIA scheduled to report quarterly earnings on November 17.
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