Børge Brende, the president and chief executive officer of the World Economic Forum, announced on Thursday, February 26, 2026, that he is stepping down after documents released by the United States Department of Justice disclosed his past interactions with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein
The disclosures showed that Brende attended at least three business dinners with Epstein and exchanged emails and text messages with him, contacts that took place in 2018 and 2019, according to the released files.
Brende, a former foreign minister of Norway who had led the Geneva-based organisation since 2017, said he had arrived at the decision after “careful consideration” and wanted the forum to be able to pursue its work “without distractions.”
Earlier in February 2026, the World Economic Forum announced that it had launched an independent external investigation into Brende’s interactions with Epstein after the Justice Department made the records public.
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That review, overseen by outside legal counsel at the direction of the forum’s board, concluded there were no additional concerns beyond the interactions already known.
In a statement, the forum’s co-chairs, André Hoffmann and Larry Fink, thanked Brende for his leadership and said that Alois Zwinggi, a managing director at the forum, would serve as interim president and CEO while a permanent successor is identified.
Brende has not been accused of any criminal wrongdoing. He has previously said that he was unaware of Epstein’s criminal history at the time of their contacts.
His resignation comes amid broader scrutiny of prominent figures whose names have appeared in the recently released Epstein-related documents.
The World Economic Forum, best known for its annual summit in Davos, brings together global political, business and civil society leaders and has faced heightened pressure to uphold governance and ethical standards in light of the revelations.