Nvidia’s board told CNBC on 13 November that it has yet to select a search firm to find a permanent successor to Jensen Huang. The board also says it has not formally engaged any potential candidates, Breaking the News reported. That distinction matters as reports of an approach to Arm chief executive Rene Haas circulate.
Key points
- Nvidia’s board says it is selecting a search firm for the permanent CEO role.
- The board says it has not formally engaged any potential candidates.
- Finance chief Colette Kress is serving as interim CEO following Huang’s resignation.
Nvidia’s search firm remains unchosen
The board’s account places the permanent CEO search at the stage of choosing outside help. “We are in the process of selecting a search firm for the Nvidia CEO role,” it said in the statement reported by Breaking the News. The statement follows Huang’s resignation as Nvidia’s CEO, president and board member on 12 November, TechCrunch reported.
Huang’s exit came amid reports of extramarital affairs, including one involving a woman alleged to be a Chinese intelligence asset, according to TechCrunch. Nvidia’s board put Kress, its chief financial officer, in charge on an interim basis while it searches for a permanent replacement. AI Affairs reported the leadership change when it happened.
The board had already begun looking beyond the interim appointment. Nvidia said in a 12 November press release that its search would consider people inside and outside the company, according to Kalshi. The 13 November statement gives a more precise account of where that process stands: the board is still choosing a search firm and says it has not formally engaged candidates.
Rene Haas enters the succession discussion
AI Affairs reported an approach to Arm CEO Rene Haas as the board considered Huang’s replacement. Haas previously worked at Nvidia, according to Kalshi. An approach is the subject of the report; the board’s statement addresses whether it has formally engaged a candidate.
“Any speculation regarding individual candidates, whether internal or external, is premature,” the board said in the statement reported by Breaking the News. The same publication reported that US President Donald Trump had suggested former Apple CEO Tim Cook for the position. Those names have entered the discussion while the board says its candidate-engagement process remains at an earlier stage.
Other names were circulating before the board’s update. On 12 November, Kalshi put Nvidia vice-president Ian Buck at 42% and Kress at 12% in its market on the next permanent CEO. AI Affairs had also reported Buck and Kress emerging in the search. Kalshi’s figures describe its market on that date, rather than a board decision.
Colette Kress runs Nvidia for now
Kress is Nvidia’s chief financial officer and executive vice-president, TechCrunch reported. She joined the company in September 2013 and previously held finance roles at Cisco and Microsoft. Her interim appointment gives Nvidia a serving chief executive while the board pursues the permanent search.
Kress said in a statement that her focus was on Nvidia’s customers, partners, developers and shareholders. She also said she would work with the leadership team to build on the company Huang had led. Those commitments come from the person currently running Nvidia, while the board controls the choice of a permanent CEO.
Nvidia is scheduled to report quarterly earnings on 17 November. Kress has been a regular participant in the company’s earnings calls as finance chief.
