World Economic Forum CEO Borge Brende resigns over Epstein revelations

South China Morning Post · Feb 26, 2026 · Collected from RSS

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The president and CEO of the World Economic Forum, Borge Brende, said he was stepping down on Thursday, a few weeks after the forum launched an independent investigation into his relationship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.Brende, who became president of the WEF ‌in 2017, announced his decision in a statement following disclosures from the US Justice Department that showed the Norwegian had three business dinners with Epstein and had also communicated with the disgraced financier via email and text message.“After careful consideration, I have decided to step down as president and CEO of the World Economic Forum. My time here, spanning 8½ years, has been profoundly rewarding,” Brende said. The statement made ⁠no mention of Epstein.“I am grateful for the incredible collaboration with my colleagues, partners and constituents, and I believe ‌now is the right moment for the Forum to continue its important work without distractions,” added Brende, a former Norwegian foreign minister.Brende has said he was unaware of Epstein’s ‌past and criminal activities before first meeting him in 2018, and that he regretted not having investigated ⁠him more thoroughly.Brende’s decision ⁠to quit follows a series of revelations relating to Epstein, who in 2008 was convicted of soliciting prostitution from a minor. The revelations ‌have roiled business and political elites and even the British royal family.