Topline
Borge Brende, the CEO of the World Economic Forum, resigned Thursday, weeks after the organization opened an independent probe into his ties with Jeffrey Epstein—marking the latest high-profile fallout after the Justice Department’s release of documents linked to the convicted sex offender.
By Siladitya Ray, Forbes Staff.
Key Facts
In a statement, Brende said he was stepping down after “careful consideration,” adding, “now is the right moment for the Forum to continue its important work without distractions.”
The statement does not mention Epstein’s name or Brende’s communication with the convicted sex offender.
The organization’s co-chairs, Andre Hoffmann and Larry Fink, said the “independent review conducted by outside counsel has concluded” and it found no “additional concerns beyond what has been previously disclosed.”
The co-chairs named WEF Managing Board member Alois Zwinggi as the forum’s Interim President and CEO.
Brende, who has not been accused of any wrongdoing, has acknowledged attending dinners with Epstein but said he was “completely unaware” of his “past and criminal activities.”
The first interaction between Brende and Epstein in the DOJ’s files appears to be on March 15, 2018, when the convicted sex offender hosted the former Norwegian Foreign Minister. Two other guests also appeared to have attended the dinner: Norwegian diplomat Terje Rod-Larsen and Steve Bannon. In a text message, Borge wrote: “Dear Jeff: thx for a very interesting dinner on Thursday. Food for thought. You're a brilliant host.” Epstein responded, “both Bannon Leon and I were very impressed with you.” A month later, Borge texted: “Missing you Sir,” along with a photo of Rod-Larsen, to which Epstein responded, “I'm there in spirit if not body.” Brende also said he attended at least two other dinners with Epstein in 2019, and was joined by other diplomats and business leaders.
“I was completely unaware of Epstein’s past and criminal activities. Had I known about his background, I would have declined the initial invitation to join Rod-Larsen and any subsequent dinner invitations or other communications,” Brende said in a statement earlier this month. The former WEF CEO also claimed those dinner meetings “and a few emails and SMS messages, were the extent of my interactions,” with Epstein.
