Nvidia’s new chairman Harvey Jones is a ‘charming elder statesman’ set to lead the search for the next CEO. But did he enable the current crisis?

Nvidia’s board has named Harvey Jones, a director since 1993, as its new chairman, tasking him with leading the search for the company’s next CEO. The appointment comes as Nvidia faces scrutiny over whether Jones, a longtime confidant of current CEO Jensen Huang, did enough to check management during the crisis now confronting the chipmaker. Jones is described as a “charming elder statesman” whose deep institutional knowledge could steady the board through the transition. Investors will watch how quickly the chairman moves to define a CEO succession process and whether the board tightens oversight of Nvidia’s strategy and risk controls.