Who Is Colette Kress? The CFO Now Running Nvidia After Jensen Huang’s Exit
For 33 years Jensen Huang was the face of Nvidia. Now a finance chief is doing two jobs. Colette Kress, who has explained Nvidia’s numbers to Wall Street every quarter since 2013, is running the world’s most important AI chipmaker on an interim basis, five days before its next earnings report.
The short answer
Colette Kress, 59, is Nvidia’s interim CEO. The board appointed her on 11 November 2026 after accepting Jensen Huang’s resignation, effective immediately, per Nvidia’s 8-K. She has been CFO since September 2013, keeps that job too, and spent nearly 25 years in finance at Cisco, Microsoft and Texas Instruments before Nvidia.
Colette Kress at a glance
Fact | Detail | Source |
Role now | Interim CEO, plus EVP and CFO | Nvidia 8-K |
Age | 59 | Nvidia 8-K |
Joined Nvidia | September 2013, as EVP and CFO | Nvidia press release |
Before Nvidia | Nearly 25 years in finance: Cisco, Microsoft, Texas Instruments | Nvidia bio |
At Microsoft | 13 years, incl. four as CFO of Server and Tools | Nvidia bio |
At Cisco | Three years as SVP and CFO, Business Technology and Operations Finance | Nvidia bio |
Education | B.Sc. in finance, University of Arizona; MBA, Southern Methodist University | Nvidia bio |
New board chair | Harvey C. Jones, 73, a director since 1993 | Nvidia 8-K |
What exactly did Nvidia announce?
Nvidia’s Form 8-K says that on 11 November 2026 the board accepted the resignation of Jen-Hsun “Jensen” Huang as president, CEO and member of the board, effective immediately, and appointed Kress as interim CEO “while the Board conducts a search for a new Chief Executive Officer.” The company’s press release, dated 12 November, says the board will consider internal and external candidates.
The same filing names Harvey C. Jones as chair of the board. The release calls him Nvidia’s “first-ever Chair of the Board.” Jones, 73, has been a director since 1993, has run the Square Wave Ventures family office since 2004, and was previously CEO and executive chairman of Synopsys. Splitting the chair role from the CEO job is a governance change in its own right: Huang held both the top executive post and a board seat.
“I am committed to building on the extraordinary foundation Jensen created over the last 33 years.” Colette Kress, interim CEO and CFO, in Nvidia’s press release
Who is Colette Kress?
Kress is a career finance executive. According to her Nvidia biography, she began in finance roles at Texas Instruments, then spent 13 years at Microsoft, including four as CFO of the Server and Tools division. She then spent three years as senior vice president and CFO of Cisco’s Business Technology and Operations Finance organization before joining Nvidia in September 2013.
At Nvidia she has led finance through the company’s transformation from a gaming-graphics business into the main supplier of AI data-center chips. She is the other familiar voice on earnings calls, presenting results and taking analyst questions alongside Huang. CNBC quoted Dan Ives of Yorkville Ives & Co. calling her “more than just a CFO,” and said Fortune named her one of the most powerful women in business in May.
Why did Jensen Huang leave?
Nvidia has not given a reason, and its filing and release do not mention one. Based on CNBC’s reporting: Huang publicly apologized on 8 November for being unfaithful to his wife; news reports then described personal relationships, including, according to The New York Times and Reuters as cited by CNBC, with Nvidia employees. CNBC also reported that one of the relationships drew attention from US intelligence, a claim the Chinese government has dismissed. A CNBC live blog said Huang has agreed to testify before Congress. Page 21 has not independently verified these reports, and Nvidia has not commented on them in its filings.
How has Nvidia’s stock reacted?
Page 21 analysis: the week in numbers
Measure | Value | How we got it |
Close, Nov 11 (before announcement) | $173.73 | Yahoo Finance |
Intraday low, Nov 12 | $148.80 (−14.4%) | Yahoo Finance; our calculation |
Close, Nov 12 | $166.19 (−4.3%) | Yahoo Finance; our calculation |
Close, Nov 13 | $162.85 (−2.0%) | Yahoo Finance; our calculation |
Change, Nov 6 to Nov 13 | −12.7% | Our calculation |
Approx. market value, Nov 13 | About $3.9 trillion | $162.85 × 24.1B shares (10-Q cover, Aug 2026) |
The headline “plunge” numbers you may have seen refer to the intraday move: the shares fell as low as $148.80 on 12 November before recovering much of the drop by the close. On 13 November HSBC analyst Frank Lee downgraded Nvidia to hold from buy and cut his price target to $170 from $365, saying uncertainty “will prevail until a permanent succession plan is laid out,” CNBC reported. CNBC said Truist, Evercore ISI, William Blair, Oppenheimer and Bernstein had also lowered their ratings that week. Our market-value estimate uses the latest share count Nvidia reported and is approximate.
What does Kress face first?
Her first big test is Tuesday, 17 November, when Nvidia reports third-quarter fiscal 2027 results at about 1:20 p.m. Pacific time, followed by a 2 p.m. call. Investors will listen for three things: whether demand from cloud customers is unchanged, whether the leadership change affects customer commitments, and any update on the CEO search. Chair Harvey Jones said in the release that the board expects “operations, customer commitments and product roadmap to continue without interruption.”
Running finance and the company at once is a heavy load, and interim CEOs rarely set long-term strategy. HSBC’s Lee also flagged a separate risk unrelated to the CEO change: tighter export restrictions, which he estimated could cut fiscal 2028 EPS by 13% in a bear case. For background on how the board got here, read our earlier explainer on Nvidia without Jensen Huang.
Colette Kress FAQs
Who is Nvidia’s CEO now?
Colette Kress is Nvidia’s interim chief executive. The board appointed her on 11 November 2026 after accepting Jensen Huang’s resignation as president, CEO and director, effective immediately, according to Nvidia’s Form 8-K. She remains executive vice president and chief financial officer while the board searches for a permanent CEO.
How old is Colette Kress and how long has she been at Nvidia?
Kress is 59, according to the 8-K. She joined Nvidia as executive vice president and CFO in September 2013, so she has been at the company for a little over 13 years.
Where did Colette Kress work before Nvidia?
Nvidia says she spent nearly 25 years in finance at technology companies. She was senior vice president and CFO of Cisco’s Business Technology and Operations Finance organization for three years, spent 13 years at Microsoft including four as CFO of the Server and Tools division, and started at Texas Instruments.
Why did Jensen Huang resign from Nvidia?
Nvidia’s filing and press release do not give a reason. CNBC reported that Huang stepped down after he publicly apologized for being unfaithful to his wife and after news reports about his personal relationships, including with Nvidia employees. Page 21 has not independently verified those reports.
Will Colette Kress become Nvidia’s permanent CEO?
Not decided. Nvidia says the board will consider internal and external candidates. Analyst Dan Ives told CNBC he expects Kress to serve about a year and the permanent pick to come from outside the company.
When does Nvidia report earnings?
Nvidia will report third-quarter fiscal 2027 results on Tuesday, 17 November 2026, at about 1:20 p.m. Pacific time, followed by a call at 2 p.m. Pacific, as previously scheduled.
Sources
Related on Page 21
This article is for general information only and is not investment advice. Facts about the leadership change are from Nvidia’s Form 8-K and press release; reporting on the circumstances of Jensen Huang’s exit is attributed to the outlets named. Updated 14 November 2026.
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