- Borge Brende resigns as WEF president after review of Epstein ties.
- US Justice Department files detail dinners and messages in 2018.
- No wrongdoing alleged against Brende.
The president of the World Economic Forum has stepped down after newly released US documents detailed his past contact with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Borge Brende resigned on Thursday, saying the organisation should continue its work “without distractions”. His departure follows disclosures by the US Justice Department indicating that he attended three business dinners with Epstein in 2018, including at Epstein’s home in New York, and exchanged emails and text messages with him.
There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing by Brende.
Messages under the spotlight
Brende, 60, has said he was unaware of Epstein’s past criminal conduct when they met in 2018 and that he regretted not looking more closely into his background. Epstein had been convicted in 2008 for soliciting prostitution from a minor.
In one 2018 message cited in the documents, Brende appeared to thank Epstein for a “very interesting dinner”, describing him as a “brilliant host” and “my friend”, and inviting him to Geneva for a follow-up meeting. In a separate exchange, Epstein suggested that the Davos gathering could “replace the UN” and referenced topics including cyber and crypto. Brende was recorded replying that a new global architecture was needed and that the forum was “uniquely positioned”.
In another message from December 2018, Epstein reportedly praised Brende’s work and discussed the upcoming attendance of then US president Donald Trump at Davos. Epstein is also recorded as telling Brende he trusted him “100 per cent”.
An independent review commissioned by the forum’s co-chairs, André Hoffmann and Larry Fink, examined Brende’s ties to Epstein, who died in prison in 2019. The review concluded there were no additional concerns beyond what had already been disclosed.
Davos body faces fresh upheaval
Brende became president of the Geneva-based organisation in 2017. The forum, founded in 1971 by Klaus Schwab, is best known for its annual meeting in Davos, where political leaders, executives and policymakers gather to discuss global issues. It is largely funded by multinational corporate members.
In his resignation statement, Brende said his eight-and-a-half years at the helm had been “profoundly rewarding”, reportedly adding that it was the right moment for the forum to move forward without distraction. He did not mention Epstein in the statement.
His departure comes amid broader fallout from the latest batch of US Justice Department documents related to Epstein. Several prominent figures in business and politics have stepped down from roles following scrutiny of past associations, though none has been accused of wrongdoing.
The forum said Alois Zwinggi would serve as interim president and chief executive. The episode is also understood to have complicated the search for a new chairman, a process already under way after Schwab resigned last year following separate allegations of inappropriate conduct, which he denied.
For an organisation that positions itself as a convener of global leadership, the latest resignation adds to a period of uncertainty at the top.
