Jensen Huang stepped down as the head of technology giant Nvidia on Thursday, November 12, following revelations about extramarital relationships with two women. One of them was identified as Kimberly Powell, an executive who reported to him, while the other was Alice Huang, a Chinese businesswoman whom US intelligence officials reportedly suspect of having links to Chinese espionage.
Following Huang's departure, Nvidia's board appointed Colette Kress, the company's executive vice president and chief financial officer (CFO), as interim CEO. She will hold the position until a permanent successor is named.
Who Is Colette Kress?
Kress joined Nvidia in September 2013 as its executive vice president and chief financial officer, a position she has held ever since. Over the years, she has regularly appeared alongside Huang during the company's quarterly earnings calls.
Under her financial leadership, Nvidia witnessed a substantial increase in revenue. The company's revenue stood at $4.13 billion in the fiscal year Kress joined, compared with $215.9 billion in fiscal 2026, according to a Reuters report.
Kress' Career Before Joining Nvidia
Before moving to Nvidia, Kress built an extensive career in the financial divisions of several prominent technology companies.
She spent eight years working in finance-related positions at Texas Instruments before joining Microsoft in 1997. During her 13-year stint at Microsoft, which lasted until 2010, she rose to become the chief financial officer of its Server and Tools division in 2006. Her responsibilities included overseeing the division's financial strategy, planning and reporting.
In 2010, Kress moved to Cisco, where she was appointed senior vice president and chief financial officer of its Business Technology and Operations Finance organisation. In this capacity, she handled financial strategy and business development before leaving the company to join Nvidia in 2013.
Educational Background And Rise In The Tech Industry
According to Nvidia's annual report filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Kress holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from the University of Arizona and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from Southern Methodist University.
Her appointment at Nvidia came after nearly 25 years of experience in financial leadership positions across major technology companies, Fortune reported in 2024.
Speaking to Fortune, Kress recalled that Nvidia was the smallest company she had worked for when she joined the semiconductor giant in 2013.
