WEF CEO Borge Brende Resigns After Jeffrey Epstein Ties Scrutinised
2 min learnUp to date: Feb 26, 2026 05:24 PM IST
Borge Brende, president and CEO of the World Financial Discussion board, stated Thursday he was resigning, a number of weeks after the discussion board launched an unbiased investigation into his relationship with intercourse offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Brende, who turned president of the WEF in 2017, introduced his resolution in an announcement following disclosures from the US Justice Division that confirmed the Norwegian had three enterprise dinners with Epstein and had additionally communicated with the disgraced financier through electronic mail and textual content message, information company Reuters reported.
The co-chairs stated the WEF’s Alois Zwinggi will function interim president and CEO, and that the discussion board’s Board of Trustees will oversee the management transition, together with a plan to drive a course of to establish a everlasting successor.
“After cautious consideration, I’ve determined to step down as President and CEO of the World Financial Discussion board. My time right here, spanning 8-1/2 years, has been profoundly rewarding,” he stated.
“I’m grateful for the unbelievable collaboration with my colleagues, companions, and constituents, and I imagine now could be the best second for the Discussion board to proceed its essential work with out distractions,” added Brende, a former Norwegian international minister. Brende made no point out of Epstein.
In a separate assertion, Andre Hoffmann and Larry Fink, co-chairs of the Geneva-based discussion board that organises the annual Davos summit, stated the unbiased evaluation performed by outdoors counsel into Brende’s ties with Epstein had concluded.
The findings said there have been no further issues past what had been beforehand disclosed, it added.