Nvidia's board of directors has appointed current CFO Collette Kress as interim CEO following the unexpected resignation of the company's founder amid personal controversy, leaving the tech giant searching for a permanent leader.

Nvidia's board of directors has appointed current CFO Collette Kress as interim CEO following the unexpected resignation of the company's founder amid personal controversy, leaving the tech giant searching for a permanent leader.

Nvidia's board of directors has appointed current CFO Collette Kress as interim CEO following the unexpected resignation of the company's founder amid personal controversy, leaving the tech giant searching for a permanent leader.

The Nvidia board of directors on Thursday announced that Colette Kress, the company's current Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, has agreed to serve as its interim CEO as its future hangs in the balance.

The board had announced earlier today that the founder and CEO of the tech giant had resigned amid backlash over his extramarital affairs.

The former Microsoft executive will now serve as the interim head of the $4.5-trillion chipmaker until a permanent replacement is found, though Nvidia does not have a succession plan in place.

This comes after New York Times reported Huang had admitted to the affairs—one reportedly with Kimberly Powell, an executive who joined Nvidia in 2008 and heads its healthcare vertical, and the other with Alice Huang, a Chinese businesswoman and alleged spy.

Though the chipmaker had earlier said that the Jensen was “committed to continuing to lead ... as CEO without interruption”, backlash over the extramarital affairs grew after the second affair with Powell also came to light.

About Colette Kress

The former Microsoft executive's professional journey began after she obtained a B.Sc. degree in finance from University of Arizona and an MBA from the Southern Methodist University. 

After serving in various financial capacities at Texas Instruments, she went on to spend 13 years at Microsoft, including four years as the Chief Financial Officer of its Server and Tools division.

Her 25 years of financial experience at multiple tech firms also included three years at Cisco, where she served as its Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of its Business Technology and Operations Finance organisation.

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