Nvidia has named Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress interim CEO as its board begins a search for a permanent leader after Jensen Huang resigned, starting a succession process at the AI chipmaker.
Huang’s resignation as president, CEO and board member took effect Nov. 11, according to a company filing. The board will consider candidates from inside and outside Nvidia, but the company has not named a permanent successor. Kress, 59, will keep her CFO role, which she has held since 2013.
Before the transition announcement, Reuters reported that analysts had discussed Kress and engineer Ian Buck as possible internal successors. One analyst described Buck as a potential longer-term candidate. Nvidia has not said whether Buck is under consideration.
Buck oversees Nvidia's hyperscale and high-performance computing work and leads product efforts for hyperscale AI, according to the company. The company biography places Buck's start at Nvidia in 2004 and credits him with contributing to CUDA's development.
The board also appointed Harvey C. Jones, a director since 1993, as its first chair. Jones backed Kress and said he expected the leadership change not to disrupt Nvidia’s operations, customer commitments or product plans.
Separately, the board said Nov. 8 that it had opened an independent inquiry after reports alleged a foreign intelligence effort had targeted Huang. The board said its review had not given it grounds to conclude that national security or Nvidia’s confidential information was affected. EconoTimes previously covered the board’s inquiry into reports involving Huang.
Reuters reported that Nvidia shares fell more than 10% in premarket trading Nov. 12. The company scheduled its fiscal 2027 third-quarter results for Tuesday, Nov. 17, at approximately 4:20 p.m. ET, followed by an earnings call at 5 p.m. ET.
