Who is Nvidia's interim CEO Colette Kress? A look at her career so far

Colette Kress became one of the most influential tech sector leaders on Thursday after she was named interim CEO of Nvidia, following the resignation of Jensen Huang.

"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," Kress said in a statement Thursday.

Kress, 59, who has been Nvidia's chief financial officer, has spent decades in the tech industry at several major corporations.

She earned a Bachelor's Degree in finance from the University of Arizona and in 1996 earned an MBA in finance from Southern Methodist University, according to her Nvidia bio and LinkedIn page.

She began working at Texas Instruments in finance divisions before joining Microsoft in 2006, according to her bio.

She worked there for 13 years, "including four years as chief financial officer of the Server and Tools division, and held senior roles in corporate planning and finance," her bio says.

In 2010, Kress joined Cisco, where she was the senior vice president and CFO of the company's Business Technology and Operations Finance organization.

In 2013, Huang personally offered her the CFO job at Nvidia. Kress told Israeli business news site Globes in a 2023 interview that her sons "advised" her to join Nvidia due to the chipmaker's prominence in the video game community.

Kress has repeatedly pushed for Nvidia's growth into other computing sectors and championed the company's part in the artificial intelligence surge over the last decade.

"I think more investors really now understand who we are -- because 10 years ago, probably few could articulate our long-term vision," she told Globes.

"I call it the 'supermarket test'. Years ago, if you walked into the grocery store wearing a green Nvidia shirt, some people wouldn't understand what that was. Today, I believe that people know our company, and are learning what graphic processors can do for artificial intelligence," she added.

Kress reiterated her vision in a memo to employees Thursday.

"We play a vital role in building the technology that is powering the AI revolution, and we have important work ahead of us. So let's move forward together, with the same determination and commitment that have always defined this company," she said.

Kress also addressed the scandals that rocked the company over the last two weeks, saying she, the board and company executives "recognize that this has been an extraordinarily difficult period."

"I want you to know how grateful we are for your resilience, professionalism and continued dedication. Thank you," she said.

"This company has achieved so much because of the work that all of you bring to it every single day. You are our greatest strength," she added.