Thursday 26/February/2026 – 02:14 PM
Borge Brende, President and Director-General of the World Economic Forum “Davos”, announced his resignation from his position, weeks after the forum launched an independent investigation into his relationship with the late American financier Jeffrey Epstein, according to The Economic Times website.
The relationship of the director of the Davos Forum with Jeffrey Epstein
Brende, who assumed the presidency of the forum in 2017, explained in an official statement that he decided to step down after careful thought, noting that his tenure, which spanned eight and a half years, was rich and fruitful.
He added that the time has come for the forum to continue its work without distraction, expressing his gratitude for the cooperation with his colleagues and partners. In his statement, he did not address Epstein directly.
The resignation announcement came after disclosures issued by the US Department of Justice that revealed that Brende, a former Norwegian Foreign Minister, held three business meetings over dinner with Epstein, in addition to exchanging e-mail and text messages with him.
In a separate statement, Andre Hofmann and Larry Fink, co-chairs of the Geneva-based forum that organizes the annual summit in Davos, said the independent review by an outside legal body into Brende’s relationship with Epstein had concluded, adding that the findings revealed no additional concerns beyond those previously disclosed.
