Colette Kress Named Nvidia Interim CEO as Board Starts Search

The filing also provides a date distinction. Its reporting period begins on 11 November, while the public announcement is dated 12 November. Readers comparing the documents should use the date attached to each action or announcement rather than treating the two labels as competing accounts of the transition.

Colette Kress is Nvidia’s interim CEO after co-founder Jensen Huang resigned as president, chief executive and a member of the board. Nvidia announced the transition on 12 November 2026. Kress will also continue as executive vice president and chief financial officer while directors search for a permanent CEO. The board appointed longtime director Harvey C. Jones as its first chair.

The announcement sets out three separate developments. Nvidia has an executive running the business during the transition, a chair leading its board, and a search under way for a permanent chief executive. The Nvidia newsroom announcement and the company’s Form 8-K filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission describe those changes.

Why Nvidia turned to its finance chief

Kress joined Nvidia in September 2013 as executive vice president and CFO. Nvidia says she has led its finance organisation since then, following a career that included roles at Cisco and Microsoft. The appointment puts an executive with more than a decade of experience inside Nvidia in charge during the succession process.

Her title matters for anyone reading Nvidia’s next public communications. Kress will be speaking as interim chief executive when she addresses the company’s leadership and priorities. She also remains its finance chief during that period. The announcement gives her responsibility for both roles and leaves the eventual permanent appointment open. Nvidia says its board will consider candidates from inside and outside the company.

Reuters’ profile of Kress describes her previous finance roles and her work inside Nvidia as it expanded its AI infrastructure business. That background helps explain why the CFO is a prominent figure in the transition. Any change in company strategy would require its own evidence, such as a statement from management or a disclosure to investors.

Harvey Jones takes the board chair role

Jones has been a Nvidia director since 1993. According to the filing, he has been managing partner of Square Wave Ventures since 2004. Nvidia also notes his earlier leadership at Synopsys, where he served as chief executive and executive chair. He now chairs the board while Kress leads the business on an interim basis.

The distinction is useful when following the succession. The board is conducting the search, and its chair is part of the governance structure overseeing it. Kress holds the chief executive role during the search. An article or headline referring to the new chair is therefore describing a different appointment from the one that made Kress interim CEO.

What to watch in Nvidia’s next disclosures

The 8-K is the starting point for checking which offices changed hands. It identifies Huang’s departure from the executive roles and the board, Kress’s appointment and Jones’s selection as chair. The company announcement confirms that both internal and external candidates are eligible for consideration. It gives no date for completing the search.

For readers following Nvidia’s chips and AI platform, keep the management announcement separate from future product updates. A leadership filing can establish who has authority to run the company. Information about a new GPU, delivery schedule or partnership will come from the relevant product announcement, earnings release or regulatory disclosure. Nvidia’s investor relations announcement is a direct reference for the current leadership structure while the search continues.

The confirmed arrangement is that Kress holds both the interim CEO and CFO roles, Jones chairs the board, and directors are looking for a permanent chief executive. A future appointment will be the next decision that changes that structure.