Colette Kress Takes Nvidia Helm After Sudden Board Ouster of Jensen Huang
Nvidia Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress has stepped into the role of interim chief executive officer following the board’s removal of co-founder Jensen Huang on Thursday. Institutional investors, semiconductor partners, and technology industry analysts face an unexpected management transition at the world’s primary producer of artificial intelligence data center processors.
Veteran CFO Assumes Leadership as Corporate Revenue Reaches $215.9 Billion
Kress took over executive control of the semiconductor manufacturer after Nvidia‘s board voted to remove Huang over reports of personal misconduct involving two extramarital affairs, including allegations linked to foreign intelligence personnel. She has directed Nvidia’s financial operations since joining as executive vice president and chief financial officer in September 2013, guiding financial strategy as annual revenue grew from $4.13 billion during her first fiscal year to $215.9 billion in fiscal year 2026.
Regulatory filings filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission show Kress maintains at-will employment terms with no individual severance or change-in-control agreements, mirroring corporate governance structures described in Nvidia proxy statements. Forbes ranked Kress No. 32 on its 2026 list of America’s richest self-made women, with her equity holdings in the firm valued at approximately $750 million at Wednesday’s market close, down from a peak valuation exceeding $1 billion last month. Prior to joining Nvidia, Kress managed financial operations for nearly 25 years across major technology corporations, spending eight years at Texas Instruments, 13 years at Microsoft, where she served as CFO of the Server and Tools division starting in 2006, and three years as senior vice president at Cisco.
The sudden leadership assignment follows expanding board scrutiny into Huang’s external conduct and potential foreign intelligence target risks.
