Davos forum CEO quits over Epstein links

Borge Brende has announced his resignation, making him just the latest high-profile person to fall over his connection to the convicted sex offender

World Economic Forum (WEF) chief Borge Brende has stepped down from his post over his ties to late disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The name of the Davos forum CEO surfaced in the latest trove of Epstein documents released by the US authorities in late January. The files indicated Brende attended several dinners with Epstein and repeatedly communicated with him.

The revelations prompted an internal investigation at the WEF and have now led to Brende’s downfall.  

“After careful consideration, I have decided to step down as president and CEO of the World Economic Forum. My time here, spanning eight and a half years, has been profoundly rewarding,” Brende said in a statement on Thursday.

The Epstein files showed Brende arranged to meet the pedophile at the latter’s home for dinner in New York in 2018 and 2019. The latest meeting was set up mere weeks before Epstein’s arrest on sex trafficking charges.  

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After the correspondence became public, Brende claimed he met Epstein only in 2018, and that their contact boiled down to three dinners and “a few emails and SMS messages.” The now former CEO also asserted that he had been “completely unaware of Epstein’s past and criminal activities,” despite Epstein’s 2008 conviction for soliciting sex from a minor being widely known and extensively publicized in the media.

WEF co-chairs Andre Hoffmann and Larry Fink released a statement on behalf of the forum’s board of trustees, thanking the ex-CEO for his service and claiming that the internal investigation found “no additional concerns beyond what has been previously disclosed.” 

Last year, the forum’s founder, Klaus Schwab, stepped down as chair of its board after facing allegations of misusing funds and making inappropriate remarks to women. The latest scandal further “tainted” the reputation of the platform, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy Kirill Dmitriev said after Brende’s links to Epstein became public. All “good people” should attend Russia’s St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), while WEF can remain “focused on discussing Epstein’s legacy and the lessons learned from his network-building,” he suggested.