Colette Kress Officially Leads Nvidia Replacing Jensen Huang: Female Executive Leading Corporate Giant Valued USD 4 Trillion

SURABAYA | JATIMSATUNEWS.COM: In an official company statement, Nvidia’s Board of Directors moved swiftly by appointing Colette Kress as Interim CEO following the resignation of Nvidia co-founder and legendary Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Jensen Huang, on Thursday (12/11/2026) US time.

This sudden appointment instantly catapulted Colette Kress’s name to the top of global Google trending searches.

The public, Wall Street investors, and world leaders are now turning their attention to the female executive taking the helm of the semiconductor company valued at over US$ 4 trillion.

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Colette Kress, The Behind-the-Scenes Figure Now in the Global Spotlight

Dual Mandate Amid a Leadership Crisis

For the past 33 years, Nvidia’s identity has been virtually inseparable from Jensen Huang and his signature black leather jacket.

His departure created a leadership vacuum previously unimaginable to the market. To calm the turmoil—which briefly sent Nvidia’s stock plunging as much as 14 percent during Thursday’s trading before slightly recovering—Nvidia’s Board of Directors handed Kress a dual mandate.

According to a report by CNBC, in addition to carrying out day-to-day duties as Interim CEO, Kress will retain her positions as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (CFO).

Concurrently, Nvidia’s Board of Directors also appointed Harvey C. Jones, former CEO of Synopsys, as the first Chairman of the Board in the company’s history to strengthen corporate governance.

In an internal memo to all employees quoted by NBC News, Kress acknowledged that the company is navigating a very difficult period. However, she reaffirmed her commitment to maintaining operational stability.

“Nvidia’s strength has always come from its people. Alongside our leadership team, I am committed to building on the extraordinary foundation Jensen created over the past 33 years,” Kress said in her official statement. “Our focus remains on serving our customers, partners, developers, and shareholders.”

Colette Kress’s Profile and Educational Background

Unlike most chip company executives in Silicon Valley who come from hardware engineering or computer science backgrounds, Colette Kress is a corporate financial strategist.

Among Wall Street analysts, she is often dubbed a “Swiss Army knife” for her ability to bridge complex technological visions with strict financial discipline.

Academic Background

Holds a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in Finance from the University of Arizona and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Southern Methodist University (SMU).

Residence and Personal Life

Kress resides in Saratoga, California, about 25 kilometers from Nvidia’s headquarters in Santa Clara.

In an interview cited by The Guardian, Kress once shared the unique anecdote that her two sons were the ones who encouraged her to accept the job offer at Nvidia in 2013, as they were very familiar with Nvidia graphics cards from the video games they played.

Net Worth

Following the surge in Nvidia’s valuation in recent years, the Bloomberg Billionaires Index notes that Kress’s net worth has surpassed US$ 1 billion, largely derived from her stock holdings in the company.

In May 2026, Fortune magazine also named her one of the most powerful women in global business.

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An Illustrious Three-Decade Career Track Record

Before becoming the temporary top executive at Nvidia, Colette Kress built an executive track record spanning nearly four decades across major global technology corporations.

1. Texas Instruments (8 Years).

Kress laid the foundation of her career in the semiconductor industry by holding various financial management positions at Texas Instruments. This experience gave her a deep understanding of chip manufacturing cycles and global supply chains.

2. Microsoft (1997–2010).

She spent 13 years at the software giant Microsoft. The pinnacle of her tenure there was serving four years as CFO for the Server and Tools division. This role provided her with extensive insights into cloud computing and enterprise-scale data center infrastructure needs.

3. Cisco Systems (2010–2013).

Kress joined networking giant Cisco as Senior Vice President and CFO for the Business Technology and Operations Finance organization. There, she was responsible for financial strategy, planning, and business development across all engineering and operations segments.

Former Cisco CEO John Chambers praised Kress’s capabilities, stating that she deeply understands how to lead a company through major market transitions and execute at massive scale.

4. Nvidia (September 2013–Present).

When Kress joined as CFO in 2013, Nvidia was still primarily known as a producer of PC gaming graphics cards with annual revenue of around US$ 4.13 billion.

Over her 13-year tenure, she steered the company’s financial transformation until Nvidia’s annual revenue broke through US$ 215.9 billion in fiscal year 2026.

She has also been a key architect behind Nvidia’s massive investment strategy in various tech companies, including strategic partnerships with OpenAI, Intel, and Nokia.

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Trending on Google and a Tough First-Week Test

Appointment of Kress and Jensen Huang’s Scandal

The surge in Google searches for Colette Kress was triggered by global public curiosity regarding the future direction of artificial intelligence without Jensen Huang.

The resignation of Jensen Huang, effective immediately, came after the artificial intelligence (AI) icon was hit by personal relationship scandals, including alleged involvement with a businesswoman suspected by US intelligence agencies of being a Chinese spy.

As highlighted by Forbes, Kress faces a phenomenon often referred to as the glass cliff—a situation where a female leader is appointed to take over the reins right when a company is in the midst of a major crisis.

Kress’s first test will arrive within days. On Tuesday (17/11/2026), just five days after her appointment, Kress is scheduled to lead Nvidia’s quarterly financial results presentation (earnings call).

Although she has accompanied Huang in every investor briefing over the past 13 years, this time she must stand alone to answer pointed questions from analysts regarding the scandal’s impact on business contracts, US$ 164.5 billion in data center funding commitments, and potential US Congressional investigations into national security and chip exports to China.

While Kress steers the transition period, Nvidia’s Board of Directors has retained an executive search firm to select a permanent CEO.

Prominent technology analyst Dan Ives of Yorkville Ives & Co. estimates that Kress will serve as interim CEO for approximately one year.

Although major external names like AMD CEO Lisa Su and Apple CEO Tim Cook have begun circulating widely in the candidate pool, many observers believe Colette Kress’s steady leadership during this crisis will be decisive for the continuity of Nvidia’s dominance in the AI era.**”

Author: YAN