Who is Colette Kress, Nvidia's interim CEO? Longtime exec takes top spot after Jensen Huang resigns

US chipmaker Nvidia has appointed longtime chief financial officer Colette Kress as interim chief executive officer following the resignation of co-founder Jensen Huang on Thursday amid controversy over reports concerning his extramarital relationships.

Kress, who joined Nvidia in 2013, has served as the company's executive vice president and chief financial officer for more than a decade. Her appointment places an experienced technology executive at the helm of one of the world's most influential semiconductor companies during a period of leadership uncertainty.

Huang, who co-founded Nvidia more than three decades ago, stepped down following reports about his personal relationships, including an alleged affair with a woman suspected of having links to Chinese intelligence.

The allegations intensified after reports emerged of another purported relationship involving an Nvidia employee.

𝐊𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞

In a statement announcing her appointment, Kress acknowledged Huang's contribution to Nvidia's development and expressed confidence in the company's future.

Nvidia's "strength has always come from its people," she said, adding that she was "committed to building on the extraordinary foundation Jensen created over the last 33 years."

Kress also pledged that the company would "continue advancing the work that has made NVIDIA a leader in accelerated computing and AI."

Her appointment is expected to provide continuity as the company navigates the leadership transition while maintaining its focus on artificial intelligence infrastructure and advanced semiconductor technology.

𝐇𝐮𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐲

Huang's resignation followed reports by The New York Times concerning his alleged personal relationships.

One report alleged that Huang had been involved with a woman suspected of being connected to Chinese intelligence, raising questions about potential security implications.

Additional reports subsequently emerged concerning an alleged affair with an Nvidia employee.

Nvidia did not directly address the reported relationships in its announcement of the leadership change.

However, the company had earlier said it was investigating whether Huang had been "the target of a foreign intelligence effort."

Huang separately apologised for being unfaithful to his wife.

China's Foreign Ministry dismissed the espionage allegations.

The claims concerning foreign intelligence involvement remain allegations, and the available account does not establish that Huang knowingly participated in any intelligence activity.

𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐞𝐱𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞

Kress brings extensive financial and operational experience to her new position.

Before joining Nvidia in 2013, she held senior roles at Cisco, Microsoft and Texas Instruments, according to her executive biography.

During her tenure as Nvidia's finance chief, she helped oversee the company's financial strategy as demand for its graphics processing units and artificial intelligence accelerators expanded.

She also played an important role in financing arrangements involving major customers and technology companies, including Anthropic and CoreWeave.

Her experience in managing Nvidia's finances and relationships with major customers is expected to be particularly relevant during the transition.

𝐀𝐈 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞

Nvidia has emerged as a central player in the global artificial intelligence industry, with its advanced chips powering the training and deployment of increasingly sophisticated AI systems.

Under Huang's leadership, the company evolved from a graphics-chip manufacturer into a major supplier of computing infrastructure for data centres, cloud platforms and AI developers.

Its technology has become an essential component of the expanding AI ecosystem, making leadership stability particularly important for customers, investors and technology partners.

Huang's departure marks a major change for Nvidia, whose corporate identity and technological direction have been closely associated with its co-founder.

As interim CEO, Kress will be responsible for maintaining operational continuity and overseeing the company's strategic priorities while Nvidia determines its longer-term leadership arrangements.

The company has not announced a timetable for appointing a permanent chief executive.