Colette Kress Saves The Day

Kress-test

It pays to be Nvidia's CFO. Literally. Colette Kress joined Nvidia in 2013, when the company generated barely $4 billion of annual revenue. Thirteen years and several million shares and options later, Forbes estimates her fortune at $1.2 billion.

Last night she earned her keep. Nvidia entered the print on a seven-day losing streak and had fallen after each of its previous four earnings beats. The quarter was good, the guide was solid, but a disappointing gross-margin outlook initially threatened to produce more of the same.