Jensen Huang has been ousted as CEO of Nvidia, on the heels of an investigation into his extramarital affair with a woman alleged to be a Chinese spy. The subsequent revelation that he’d also had an affair with a Nvidia employee added fuel to the fire, prompting Huang to resign.
On Thursday, November 12, the Wall Street Journal reported that Nvidia CFO Colette Kress had agreed to serve as interim CEO until the company can name a permanent successor, with the boad of directors immediately beginning its search for a new CEO; per a Nvidia news release, both internal and external candidates are being considered.
In the meantime, what do we know about the Nvidia executive who will be leading the embattled technology firm during this turbulent time?
1. Colette Kress Has Been Nvidia’s CEO Since 2013
Kress joined Nvidia in 2013 as executive vice president and chief financial officer, a key role within the firm.
“During her tenure, she has led the company’s finance organization and has played a key role in NVIDIA’s growth and evolution,” states the Nvidia release.
“Colette has helped lead Nvidia through a period of extraordinary growth and has a deep understanding of our business, customers, operations and financial position,” said Harvey Jones, chair of company’s board of directors.
“She is supported by an experienced leadership team that has been instrumental in executing NVIDIA’s strategy and advancing its technology roadmap,” added Jones. “The board has full confidence in Colette and the leadership team, and we expect the company’s operations, customer commitments and product roadmap to continue without interruption.”
2. She’s ‘Committed’ to Building on Jensen Huang’s Work
In Nividia’s announcement, Kress issued a statement emphasizing her commitment to continuing the Huang’s mission.
“Nvidia’s strength has always come from its people, and together with our leadership team, I am committed to building on the extraordinary foundation Jensen created over the last 33 years,” she stated.
“We will continue advancing the work that has made Nvidia a leader in accelerated computing and AI, and execute on the opportunities ahead,” she added. “Our focus remains on serving our customers, partners, developers and shareholders.”
3. Colette Kress Was Hand-Picked By Jensen Huang
Prior to coming to Nvidia, Kress worked in finance roles with other tech companies, including Texas Instruments, Cisco and Microsoft.
That experience clearly allowed her to distinguished herself among a large field of other candidates when she interviewed for the Nvidia position; as The New York Times reports, CEO Jensen Huang interviewed 22 candidates before choosing Kress as Nvidia’s CFO.
While appearing on a podcast earlier this year (via the Times), Huang realled that during her first week on the job she asked him how long he anticipated she’d remain CFO. “I said, ‘For as long as we shall live and death do us part,’” Huang said.
4. Her Sons Influenced Her Decision to Join Nvidia
In the decade-plus since she joined Nvidia, Kress worked closely with Huang as the firm transitioned from its primary business of producing graphics processors for video games to becoming a company positioned at the very nexus of the AI boom.
Back in 2013, however, when considering whether to take the position with Nvidia, she first consulted with her sons.
Her sons, avid gamers who were familiar with Nvidia for its role producing the chips that powered their favorite video games, encouraged her to take the job.
5. Working for Nvidia Has Made Kress Wildly Wealthy
As a bio for The New Era of Leadership points out, Kress has been “widely credited” for the explosion in Nvidia’s stock price, which has risen so much in recent years that Nvidia is now the third most-valuable company in the world, after only Microsoft and Apple.
Of course, Nvidia’s soaring stock price has benefited Kress, who reportedly owns 4.44 million shares. According to the company’s latest annual report, that places the value of her stock at approximately $772 million.
Colette Kress, New Nvidia CEO: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know