The head of the World Economic Forum steps down over Jeffrey Epstein ties
Borge Brende resigns following review of his connections with the convicted sex offender, saying the WEF work needs to continue "without distractions"
Børge Brende, president and chief executive officer of the World Economic Forum, has stepped down from his position after a review into his past connections with Jeffrey Epstein.
"I believe now is the right moment for the Forum to continue its important work without distractions," Brende said in a statement.
Related Content
Alois Zwinggi will serve as interim chief and president, the WEF's co-chairs Andre Hoffmann and Larry Fink said on Thursday.
Brende's departure comes amid a review of his Epstein connections by the high-profile group of business and political leaders. He has denied any wrongdoing and the WEF said the review, which was made by outside counsel, found "that there were no additional concerns beyond what has been previously disclosed."
"We wish to express our sincere appreciation for Børge Brende's significant contributions to the World Economic Forum," said Hoffmann and Fink. "His dedication and leadership have been instrumental during a pivotal period of reforms for the organization, leading to a successful annual meeting in Davos. We respect his decision to step down."
Brende is the latest high-profile European to be impacted by the release of the Epstein files. The U.K. recently arrested Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly referred to as Prince Andrew, on suspicion of misconduct in public office. He has been released from custody as that investigation continues and previously said he never witnessed or suspected any of the behavior of which Epstein was accused.
And police in Norway have opened an investigation into former Prime Minister Thorbjørn Jagland for suspected “aggravated corruption” based on information from the files. He, too, has denied wrongdoing.
Epstein, a disgraced financier and convicted sex offender, died in custody in 2022. The fallout from his crimes has been wide-reaching. Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers stepped down from the OpenAI board and resigned from Harvard after the document release showed he had maintained close ties with Epstein.
And Donald Trump continues to face questions about his own relationship with Epstein. A New York Times analysis of the documents found more than 5,300 files with references to Trump and related terms.