Nvidia finance chief Colette Kress took charge as interim chief executive after thirteen years at the chipmaker, adding responsibility for operations to her financial duties, Bloomberg reported on Nov. 13.
Kress will retain her existing job while taking on the company's most visible leadership position. Her responsibilities now extend beyond financial management to investment decisions and relationships with investors and Washington.
The appointment puts an executive who has largely stayed out of the spotlight at the forefront of the company. Bloomberg Technology discussed her background and expanded responsibilities during its coverage of the leadership change.
Kress joined Nvidia in 2013 as executive vice president and chief financial officer and has held those positions since. Before joining the company, she worked at Cisco, Microsoft and Texas Instruments, with her career concentrated in finance.
The business she now leads has changed during her time there. Nvidia moved from a company focused on chips largely used for computer gaming to a major business supplying chips for artificial intelligence.
That transformation also expanded the scope of her financial responsibilities. But she worked alongside Jensen Huang, whose prominent public role meant she had less exposure than finance chiefs at other companies of comparable size.
The discussion recalled her response during an August 2025 conversation about Nvidia sharing revenue with the U.S. government. At the time, she framed her responsibilities around compliance with U.S. law and the requirements of her finance position.
“I am the CFO, and I will follow Sarbanes-Oxley and the laws of this nation,” Kress said in that conversation. Sarbanes-Oxley is a U.S. law governing corporate financial reporting.
Her interim appointment adds a broader set of responsibilities while leaving those financial duties in place. She now represents the company publicly to investors and in its dealings with Washington, including relations with Trump.
Huang had played a visible role in those relationships. Kress also takes responsibility for managing the company's operations and considering how it should invest, areas beyond the finance roles that have defined her career.
Nvidia was expected to proceed with its Tuesday earnings release and an analyst call, with Kress participating. That would give analysts an opportunity to question her while she holds both leadership and finance responsibilities.
The discussion did not explain the circumstances behind the leadership change or specify how long the interim appointment would last. It also left open whether Nvidia would appoint Kress permanently or choose another executive.
