Nvidia CFO Colette Kress takes over as interim CEO—but the succession question remains

Nvidia CFO Colette Kress has assumed the role of interim CEO following the resignation of co-founder and former CEO, Jensen Huang. Huang's departure came after he admitted to an affair that raised national security concerns. Kress, who has been CFO for 13 years, will continue in her finance role while leading Nvidia. Scott W. Simmons, co-managing partner of Crist Kolder Associates, believes Kress is the right interim CEO for the company.

Under her leadership, Nvidia's revenue has grown from $4.13 billion in 2014 to $130.5 billion in 2025, and its market capitalization has increased from $9 billion to nearly $4 trillion, a growth of approximately 44,000%. Kress is recognized as one of the most powerful women in business, ranking No. 49 on the Fortune 2026 Most Powerful Women list.

She previously held positions at Cisco, Microsoft, and Texas Instruments. While Nvidia had no publicly disclosed succession plan, the company's board has named Harvey Jones as its new chair. If the board decides to select a technologist to succeed Huang, Ian Buck, Nvidia's vice president of hyperscale and high-performance computing, is a potential internal contender.