Marrakech – Another high-profile global figure has fallen victim to the ever-widening fallout of the Epstein files. Børge Brende, the President and CEO of the World Economic Forum, stepped down on Thursday after an independent review into his contacts with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, concluding more than eight years at the helm of the influential organization.
The WEF launched the review earlier this month after documents released by the US Department of Justice revealed Brende had attended three business dinners with Epstein in 2018 and 2019 and exchanged over 100 emails and text messages with him.
“After careful consideration, I have decided to step down as President and CEO of the World Economic Forum,” Brende said in a statement. “I believe now is the right moment for the Forum to continue its important work without distractions.”
Brende, a former Norwegian foreign minister who had led the Forum since 2017, said he first met Epstein in 2018 during a visit to New York.
He was invited by Norwegian diplomat and former deputy prime minister Terje Rod-Larsen to a dinner attended by several business and diplomatic figures, where Epstein was introduced to him as “an American investor.” He attended two similar dinners the following year.
At least one of the dinners took place at Epstein’s New York home, according to emails, just weeks before Epstein was arrested on federal sex trafficking charges.
“I was completely unaware of Epstein’s past and criminal activities,” Brende said. “I recognize that I could have conducted a more thorough investigation into Epstein’s history, and I regret not doing so.”
The independent review, conducted by the Forum’s audit and risk management committee, established that there were “no additional concerns beyond what has been previously disclosed.” Brende has not been accused of any wrongdoing.
WEF co-chairs Larry Fink and Andre Hoffmann thanked Brende for his “significant contributions” to the organization and said they respected his decision. Brende had appeared publicly just weeks earlier, when he interviewed US President Donald Trump following his address to world leaders at the Forum’s latest annual meeting, held in Davos from January 19 to 23.
Alois Zwinggi, a Swiss national and former managing director on the WEF’s executive body, will serve as interim president and CEO while the board of trustees identifies a permanent successor.
Brende’s departure adds to a growing list of prominent figures whose reputations and careers have been impacted by the Epstein disclosures.
Among the most high-profile names were Jack Lang of the Arab World Institute, Britain’s former Prince Andrew, former US President Bill Clinton, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, and former Slovak UN General Assembly president Miroslav Lajčák, all of whom faced intense public and media scrutiny following document releases.
The scandal has also reverberated across Brende’s home country. Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit and diplomats Mona Juul and Terje Rød-Larsen have all faced scrutiny. Former Prime Minister Thorbjørn Jagland was charged with “gross corruption” earlier this month over his ties with Epstein.
The WEF noted that being named in the Epstein files does not in itself indicate criminal wrongdoing.
