Who is Colette Kress, Nvidia’s new interim CEO?

For 13 years, Colette Kress helped manage the company’s transformation from a graphics-chip maker into the company at the center of the artificial intelligence boom. Now, she’s being asked to lead it through one of the most turbulent moments in its history.Kress, Nvidia’s chief financial officer, was named interim CEO Thursday following the abrupt resignation of Jensen Huang, who co-founded the company and led it for 33 years. Huang’s departure comes amid revelations of extramarital relationships with an alleged Chinese spy and one of his own reports.“We will continue advancing the work that has made Nvidia a leader in accelerated computing and AI, and execute on the opportunities ahead,” Kress said in a press release. “Our focus remains on serving our customers, partners, developers and shareholders.”“I believe deeply in this company and in its future. More than anything, I believe in each of you, in our customers and partners and in the vital role we play every day in the global economy,” Kress said in an email to staff following her appointment, acknowledging the “extraordinarily difficult period” for the company.Kress joined the company in September 2013 after tenures at Cisco and Microsoft, where she also held finance positions. She has helped see Nvidia through its transition from a video game-focused processor manufacturer to an AI-chip powerhouse.“Having worked with Colette at Cisco, I know she understands what it takes to lead through major market transitions, build strong teams, and execute at scale,” said John Chambers, former Cisco executive chairman and CEO. “Nvidia is at a critical moment, not just for the company, but for the future of AI and America’s technology leadership. I really believe Colette’s ability to step in as interim CEO. She is an amazing leader.”Chambers, who himself has moved from a CFO to a CEO role in the past, said that despite the uncertainty a leadership change creates, he does not believe it will fundamentally alter the company’s trajectory. “Every company goes through near death experiences,” Chambers said. “Nvidia is no different. It will be a challenging next year, I think they will continue to be a leading force in the AI landscape.”Kress and Huang worked closely together. Huang long leaned on Kress during financial conferences and the company’s earnings calls to debrief the investing public about the latest developments with the company’s operations.The company’s release noted its planned earnings call will go ahead on Nov. 17. Kress is expected to lead it, five days after taking on the new role.As Nvidia grew its business to focus on AI, Kress has been instrumental in managing financial relationships. Under her watch, the company has invested heavily into the technology sector, including Intel, Nokia and a partnership with OpenAI.In the past, Kress has noted that the inability to sell to China would affect the industry in the long run, a stance echoing Huang’s. “If you are unable to sell products to them, it will have an impact,” she said in an interview to Israeli publication Globes. In a November 2025 earnings call, Kress told investors the company is not expecting data center compute revenue from China.“Sizable purchase orders never materialized in the quarter due to geopolitical issues and the increasingly competitive market in China,” Kress told investors, according to a transcript of the call. “While we were disappointed in the current state that prevents us from shipping more competitive Data Center compute products to China, we are committed to continued engagement with the U.S. and China governments and will continue to advocate for America’s ability to compete around the world.”Kress’ tenure at Nvidia has been lucrative. Bloomberg’s Billionaires Index named her as one of two new Nvidia executives whose net worth exceeded $1 billion last year, largely based on the company stock she holds.Nvidia shares dipped Thursday following the announcement of Huang’s resignation and Kress’ new position.The crisis comes at a pivotal moment for AI development in the U.S. as outfits like Anthropic and OpenAI rely on Nvidia’s dominant chip technology. Kress’ role will be to see the company through the crisis and again cast it as a reliable player in the global markets.That may be difficult, as both investors and lawmakers are probing Nvidia for details of the alleged spy plot. Huang has agreed to brief Congress on his relationship as well as the company’s security protocols.“Jensen Huang’s decision to resign from NVIDIA does not absolve him, other executives, or the company as a whole of responsibility for putting our national security at risk or for any potential violations of our laws,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said in a statement Thursday. “They still owe Congress answers.”