Aarti Shah, Ian Buck, Colette Kress among Nvidia's 10 board members who could decide CEO Jensen Huang's fate amid controversy
From an early Nvidia investor to former leaders of Goldman Sachs and PepsiCo, the directors bring varied experience to a decision that could reshape the chipmaker’s leadership.
- Nov 12, 2026,
- Updated Nov 12, 2026 6:05 PM IST
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's leadership is facing scrutiny as the company's board reportedly discusses whether he should continue in the role following allegations of multiple extramarital affairs, including one involving a woman suspected of spying for China. The discussions come at a critical time for the chipmaker, whose rise has made it one of the most influential companies in the global AI industry.
The board is working with an outside firm to identify potential successors and is also considering appointing an interim chief executive while searching for a permanent replacement. Retaining Huang could expose Nvidia to greater scrutiny from lawmakers, investors, customers and employees. The decision rests with 10 directors, including Indian-origin board member Aarti Shah.
MUST READ | Trump orders crackdown on Nvidia chip smuggling to China, with Musk’s input
Meet Nvidia’s 10 board members
Stephen C. Neal: Joined in 2019, Neal is chairman emeritus and senior counsel at Cooley LLP, Nvidia’s long-time law firm. He studied at Harvard and Stanford Law School.
Tench Coxe: An early Nvidia investor and board member since 1993, Coxe was a managing director at Sutter Hill Ventures from 1989 to 2020. He recently donated $100 million towards a medical centre at the University of Texas at Austin.
John O. Dabiri: A Caltech professor of aeronautics and mechanical engineering, Dabiri joined in 2020. His research includes mathematical models of jellyfish movement. He has received the National Medal of Science and MacArthur Foundation funding.
: On the board since 2013, Hudson previously served as CEO of Pepsi-Cola North America and chief marketing officer of the NFL.
DON'T MISS | Nvidia H200 chips reach Chinese universities despite US export ban: Report
Harvey C. Jones: A director since 1993, Jones previously led chip-design software company Synopsys. He has been a managing partner at Square Wave Ventures since 2004.
Melissa B. Lora: Joined in 2023 after serving as president of Taco Bell International. Huang cited her finance expertise when announcing her appointment.
A. Brooke Seawell: Joined in 1997, Seawell is a partner at New Enterprise Associates. He previously worked at NetDynamics and Synopsys.
Aarti Shah: Shah joined in 2020 after spending 27 years at Eli Lilly, where she became senior vice-president and chief information and digital officer. She holds a PhD in applied statistics from the University of California, Riverside.
Mark A. Stevens: An early Nvidia investor, Stevens served on the board from 1993 to 2006 and rejoined in 2008. He previously worked at Sequoia Capital and now manages S-Cubed Capital.
Suzanne Nora Johnson: Appointed in July, she is the board’s newest member. She spent 21 years at Goldman Sachs, where she was vice-chairman.
Why Huang's position is under scrutiny
Brian Mulberry, chief market strategist at Zacks Investment Management, told Bloomberg, "Any compliance department in the world would be very upset that this happened." He added that the possibility of Huang continuing as CEO had become a "50-50 proposition".
The board’s governance record has also drawn attention. An annual assessment by US law firm James Drury Partners ranked it 609th among more than 650 companies.
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Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's leadership is facing scrutiny as the company's board reportedly discusses whether he should continue in the role following allegations of multiple extramarital affairs, including one involving a woman suspected of spying for China. The discussions come at a critical time for the chipmaker, whose rise has made it one of the most influential companies in the global AI industry.
The board is working with an outside firm to identify potential successors and is also considering appointing an interim chief executive while searching for a permanent replacement. Retaining Huang could expose Nvidia to greater scrutiny from lawmakers, investors, customers and employees. The decision rests with 10 directors, including Indian-origin board member Aarti Shah.
MUST READ | Trump orders crackdown on Nvidia chip smuggling to China, with Musk’s input
Meet Nvidia’s 10 board members
Stephen C. Neal: Joined in 2019, Neal is chairman emeritus and senior counsel at Cooley LLP, Nvidia’s long-time law firm. He studied at Harvard and Stanford Law School.
Tench Coxe: An early Nvidia investor and board member since 1993, Coxe was a managing director at Sutter Hill Ventures from 1989 to 2020. He recently donated $100 million towards a medical centre at the University of Texas at Austin.
John O. Dabiri: A Caltech professor of aeronautics and mechanical engineering, Dabiri joined in 2020. His research includes mathematical models of jellyfish movement. He has received the National Medal of Science and MacArthur Foundation funding.
: On the board since 2013, Hudson previously served as CEO of Pepsi-Cola North America and chief marketing officer of the NFL.
DON'T MISS | Nvidia H200 chips reach Chinese universities despite US export ban: Report
Harvey C. Jones: A director since 1993, Jones previously led chip-design software company Synopsys. He has been a managing partner at Square Wave Ventures since 2004.
Melissa B. Lora: Joined in 2023 after serving as president of Taco Bell International. Huang cited her finance expertise when announcing her appointment.
A. Brooke Seawell: Joined in 1997, Seawell is a partner at New Enterprise Associates. He previously worked at NetDynamics and Synopsys.
Aarti Shah: Shah joined in 2020 after spending 27 years at Eli Lilly, where she became senior vice-president and chief information and digital officer. She holds a PhD in applied statistics from the University of California, Riverside.
Mark A. Stevens: An early Nvidia investor, Stevens served on the board from 1993 to 2006 and rejoined in 2008. He previously worked at Sequoia Capital and now manages S-Cubed Capital.
Suzanne Nora Johnson: Appointed in July, she is the board’s newest member. She spent 21 years at Goldman Sachs, where she was vice-chairman.
Why Huang's position is under scrutiny
Brian Mulberry, chief market strategist at Zacks Investment Management, told Bloomberg, "Any compliance department in the world would be very upset that this happened." He added that the possibility of Huang continuing as CEO had become a "50-50 proposition".
The board’s governance record has also drawn attention. An annual assessment by US law firm James Drury Partners ranked it 609th among more than 650 companies.
For Unparalleled coverage of India's Businesses and Economy – Subscribe to Business Today Magazine