The president and CEO of the World Economic Forum, Børge Brende, has announced he will step down in the wake of an investigation into his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
“I believe now is the right moment for the Forum to continue its important work without distractions,” said Brende.
He spent more than eight years leading the organisation behind the annual conference in Davos, Switzerland. Davos is one of the set-piece events of the business calendar, bringing together political and business leaders for discussions on worldwide trends.
Figures like JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon are regular attendees, and at this year’s event, speakers included President Donald Trump and Elon Musk.
The WEF co-chairs, André Hoffman and Larry Fink, said the independent review, which was made public earlier in February, found “there were no additional concerns beyond what has been previously disclosed.”
Brende, a former Norwegian foreign minister, told Reuters earlier this month that he had dinner with Epstein three times in 2018 and 2019.
He added that he was “completely unaware of Epstein’s past and criminal activities.”
Brende had, as recently as November 2025, denied knowing Epstein.
Epstein was first convicted in 2008 of procuring a minor for prostitution. He died in jail in August 2019 while awaiting trial on charges including sex trafficking.
The pair arranged a dinner at Epstein’s New York home in September 2018, on Brende’s 53rd birthday, according to emails released by the Department of Justice.
In email exchanges leading up to the event, the pair discussed the WEF’s power.
“Davos can really replace the UN,” Epstein wrote, and suggested making it a “permanent place for discussion.”
Hoffman and Fink said Alois Zwinggi will serve as the WEF’s interim president and CEO.
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