AI Brief
- Nvidia appointed finance chief Colette Kress as interim CEO after the board removed co-founder Jensen Huang following reports of extramarital affairs.
- Kress has served as Nvidia's CFO since 2013, previously holding senior finance roles at Texas Instruments, Microsoft, and Cisco.
- Forbes ranked Kress No. 32 among America's richest self-made women, with her Nvidia shares valued at approximately US$750 million as of Wednesday.
NVIDIA finance chief Colette Kress is set to take over as interim CEO from Jensen Huang, the company said on Thursday, putting her in charge of the chipmaker whose processors power the world's most advanced supercomputers and AI data centers.
The appointment comes after the board ousted co-founder and CEO Jensen Huang amid reports of two extramarital affairs, one with a woman alleged to be a Chinese spy.
Here are five facts about Kress:
CFO SINCE 2013
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 US$4.13 billion in the fiscal year she joined and US$215.9 billion in fiscal 2026.
CAREER BEFORE NVIDIA
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.
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.
CONTRACT TERMS
Executive officers at Nvidia are employed at will and have no individual employment, severance or change-in-control agreements, according to the company's proxy statement. Nvidia has said in earlier filings that many of its peer companies offer such agreements.
Regulatory filings show Kress' pay includes restricted stock units, including a March 2026 award that vests over four years.
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 US$750 million, as of Wednesday's close, down from more than US$1 billion at the stock's peak last month.
