World Economic Forum CEO Quits After Investigation Into Epstein Links

Dow Jones02-26

By Aimee Look

The chief executive of the World Economic Forum, Borge Brende, is stepping down, following an investigation initiated by the forum into his links to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Brende, who was also a former Norwegian foreign minister, said in a statement Thursday that he had decided to leave his role as president and chief executive officer of the World Economic Forum after eight and a half years.

The forum said Alois Zwinggi would serve as interim president and CEO of the forum, which hosts the Davos conference in the Swiss Alps.

"I believe now is the right moment for the frum to continue its important work without distractions," Brende said.

Files related to Epstein released by the Justice Department detailed Brende meeting with the convicted sex offender in 2018 and 2019, at his New York townhouse. The World Economic Forum said at the time it was undertaking an independent review of three business dinners between Brende and Epstein, alongside emails and texts. Brende denied wrongdoing at the time.

Following the release of the files, Brende said in a statement that he was initially invited to a dinner at Epstein's house by former Norwegian diplomat Terje Rod-Larsen, and attended two others the next year. In both cases, multiple other guests were present, he said.

"I was completely unaware of Epstein's past and criminal activities," Brende said at the time.

Write to Aimee Look at aimee.look@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

February 26, 2026 06:59 ET (11:59 GMT)

Copyright (c) 2026 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

At the request of the copyright holder, you need to log in to view this content

Disclaimer: Investing carries risk. This is not financial advice. The above content should not be regarded as an offer, recommendation, or solicitation on acquiring or disposing of any financial products, any associated discussions, comments, or posts by author or other users should not be considered as such either. It is solely for general information purpose only, which does not consider your own investment objectives, financial situations or needs. TTM assumes no responsibility or warranty for the accuracy and completeness of the information, investors should do their own research and may seek professional advice before investing.

Comments

We need your insight to fill this gap

Leave a comment

{"i18n":{"language":"en_US"},"isChannel":false,"data":{"share":"https://ttm.financial/m/news/2614504596?lang=en_US&edition=fundamental","thumbnail":"","is_english":true,"pubTime":"2026-02-26 19:59","share_image_url":"https://static.laohu8.com/e9f99090a1c2ed51c021029395664489","id":"2614504596","market":"us","top_or_hot":-1,"title":"World Economic Forum CEO Quits After Investigation Into Epstein Links","media":"Dow Jones","content":"<font class=\"NormalMinus1\" face=\"Arial\">\n<pre style=\"white-space: pre\">\n \n</pre>\n<p>\n  By Aimee Look \n</p>\n<pre style=\"white-space: pre\">\n \n</pre>\n<p>\n  The chief executive of the World Economic Forum, Borge Brende, is stepping down, following an investigation initiated by the forum into his links to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. \n</p>\n<p>\n  Brende, who was also a former Norwegian foreign minister, said in a statement Thursday that he had decided to leave his role as president and chief executive officer of the World Economic Forum after eight and a half years. \n</p>\n<p>\n  The forum said Alois Zwinggi would serve as interim president and CEO of the forum, which hosts the Davos conference in the Swiss Alps. \n</p>\n<p>\n  \"I believe now is the right moment for the frum to continue its important work without distractions,\" Brende said. \n</p>\n<p>\n  Files related to Epstein released by the Justice Department detailed Brende meeting with the convicted sex offender in 2018 and 2019, at his New York townhouse. The World Economic Forum said at the time it was undertaking an independent review of three business dinners between Brende and Epstein, alongside emails and texts. Brende denied wrongdoing at the time. \n</p>\n<p>\n   Following the release of the files, Brende said in a statement that he was initially invited to a dinner at Epstein's house by former Norwegian diplomat Terje Rod-Larsen, and attended two others the next year. In both cases, multiple other guests were present, he said. \n</p>\n<p>\n  \"I was completely unaware of Epstein's past and criminal activities,\" Brende said at the time. \n</p>\n<pre style=\"white-space: pre\">\n \n</pre>\n<p>\n  Write to Aimee Look at aimee.look@wsj.com \n</p>\n<pre style=\"white-space: pre\">\n \n</pre>\n<p>\n  (END) Dow Jones Newswires\n</p>\n<p>\n  February 26, 2026 06:59 ET (11:59 GMT)\n</p>\n<p>\n  Copyright (c) 2026 Dow Jones &amp; Company, Inc.\n</p>\n</font>","source":null,"html":"<!DOCTYPE html>\n<html>\n<head>\n<meta http-equiv=\"Content-Type\" content=\"text/html; charset=utf-8\" />\n<meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width,initial-scale=1.0,minimum-scale=1.0,maximum-scale=1.0,user-scalable=no\"/>\n<meta name=\"format-detection\" content=\"telephone=no,email=no,address=no\" />\n<title>World Economic Forum CEO Quits After Investigation Into Epstein Links</title>\n<style type=\"text/css\">\na,abbr,acronym,address,applet,article,aside,audio,b,big,blockquote,body,canvas,caption,center,cite,code,dd,del,details,dfn,div,dl,dt,\nem,embed,fieldset,figcaption,figure,footer,form,h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6,header,hgroup,html,i,iframe,img,ins,kbd,label,legend,li,mark,menu,nav,\nobject,ol,output,p,pre,q,ruby,s,samp,section,small,span,strike,strong,sub,summary,sup,table,tbody,td,tfoot,th,thead,time,tr,tt,u,ul,var,video{ font:inherit;margin:0;padding:0;vertical-align:baseline;border:0 }\nbody{ font-size:16px; line-height:1.5; color:#999; background:transparent; }\n.wrapper{ overflow:hidden;word-break:break-all;padding:10px; }\nh1,h2{ font-weight:normal; line-height:1.35; margin-bottom:.6em; }\nh3,h4,h5,h6{ line-height:1.35; margin-bottom:1em; }\nh1{ font-size:24px; }\nh2{ font-size:20px; }\nh3{ font-size:18px; }\nh4{ font-size:16px; }\nh5{ font-size:14px; }\nh6{ font-size:12px; }\np,ul,ol,blockquote,dl,table{ margin:1.2em 0; }\nul,ol{ margin-left:2em; }\nul{ list-style:disc; }\nol{ list-style:decimal; }\nli,li p{ margin:10px 0;}\nimg{ max-width:100%;display:block;margin:0 auto 1em; }\nblockquote{ color:#B5B2B1; border-left:3px solid #aaa; padding:1em; }\nstrong,b{font-weight:bold;}\nem,i{font-style:italic;}\ntable{ width:100%;border-collapse:collapse;border-spacing:1px;margin:1em 0;font-size:.9em; }\nth,td{ padding:5px;text-align:left;border:1px solid #aaa; }\nth{ font-weight:bold;background:#5d5d5d; }\n.symbol-link{font-weight:bold;}\n/* header{ border-bottom:1px solid #494756; } */\n.title{ margin:0 0 8px;line-height:1.3;color:#ddd; }\n.meta {color:#5e5c6d;font-size:13px;margin:0 0 .5em; }\na{text-decoration:none; color:#2a4b87;}\n.meta .head { display: inline-block; overflow: hidden}\n.head .h-thumb { width: 30px; height: 30px; margin: 0; padding: 0; border-radius: 50%; float: left;}\n.head .h-content { margin: 0; padding: 0 0 0 9px; float: left;}\n.head .h-name {font-size: 13px; color: #eee; margin: 0;}\n.head .h-time {font-size: 11px; color: #7E829C; margin: 0;line-height: 11px;}\n.small {font-size: 12.5px; display: inline-block; transform: scale(0.9); -webkit-transform: scale(0.9); transform-origin: left; -webkit-transform-origin: left;}\n.smaller {font-size: 12.5px; display: inline-block; transform: scale(0.8); -webkit-transform: scale(0.8); transform-origin: left; -webkit-transform-origin: left;}\n.bt-text {font-size: 12px;margin: 1.5em 0 0 0}\n.bt-text p {margin: 0}\n</style>\n</head>\n<body>\n<div class=\"wrapper\">\n<header>\n<h2 class=\"title\">\nWorld Economic Forum CEO Quits After Investigation Into Epstein Links\n</h2>\n\n<h4 class=\"meta\">\n\n\n<div class=\"head\" \">\n\n\n<div class=\"h-thumb\" style=\"background-image:url(https://static.tigerbbs.com/150f88aa4d182df19190059f4a365e99);background-size:cover;\"></div>\n\n<div class=\"h-content\">\n<p class=\"h-name\">Dow Jones </p>\n<p class=\"h-time\">2026-02-26 19:59</p>\n</div>\n\n</div>\n\n\n</h4>\n\n</header>\n<article>\n<font class=\"NormalMinus1\" face=\"Arial\">\n<pre style=\"white-space: pre\">\n \n</pre>\n<p>\n  By Aimee Look \n</p>\n<pre style=\"white-space: pre\">\n \n</pre>\n<p>\n  The chief executive of the World Economic Forum, Borge Brende, is stepping down, following an investigation initiated by the forum into his links to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. \n</p>\n<p>\n  Brende, who was also a former Norwegian foreign minister, said in a statement Thursday that he had decided to leave his role as president and chief executive officer of the World Economic Forum after eight and a half years. \n</p>\n<p>\n  The forum said Alois Zwinggi would serve as interim president and CEO of the forum, which hosts the Davos conference in the Swiss Alps. \n</p>\n<p>\n  \"I believe now is the right moment for the frum to continue its important work without distractions,\" Brende said. \n</p>\n<p>\n  Files related to Epstein released by the Justice Department detailed Brende meeting with the convicted sex offender in 2018 and 2019, at his New York townhouse. The World Economic Forum said at the time it was undertaking an independent review of three business dinners between Brende and Epstein, alongside emails and texts. Brende denied wrongdoing at the time. \n</p>\n<p>\n   Following the release of the files, Brende said in a statement that he was initially invited to a dinner at Epstein's house by former Norwegian diplomat Terje Rod-Larsen, and attended two others the next year. In both cases, multiple other guests were present, he said. \n</p>\n<p>\n  \"I was completely unaware of Epstein's past and criminal activities,\" Brende said at the time. \n</p>\n<pre style=\"white-space: pre\">\n \n</pre>\n<p>\n  Write to Aimee Look at aimee.look@wsj.com \n</p>\n<pre style=\"white-space: pre\">\n \n</pre>\n<p>\n  (END) Dow Jones Newswires\n</p>\n<p>\n  February 26, 2026 06:59 ET (11:59 GMT)\n</p>\n<p>\n  Copyright (c) 2026 Dow Jones &amp; Company, Inc.\n</p>\n</font>\n\n</article>\n</div>\n</body>\n</html>\n","isBrief":false,"type":0,"news_type":1,"symbol":"FET","symbol_name":"Forum Energy Technologies","start_time":0,"source_url":"https://dowjonesnews.com/newdjn/logon.aspx?AL=N","article_id":"2614504596","we_media_id":"106","thumbnails":[],"rights":null,"url":"https://stock-news.laohu8.com/highlight/detail?id=2614504596","pubTimestamp":1772107140,"columns":[],"sourceInfo":null,"weMediaInfo":{"media_name":"Dow Jones","introduction":"Dow Jones publishes the world’s most trusted business news and financial information in a variety of media.","home_visible":0,"id":"106","head_image":"https://static.tigerbbs.com/150f88aa4d182df19190059f4a365e99"},"summary":"The chief executive of the World Economic Forum, Borge Brende, is stepping down, following an investigation initiated by the forum into his links to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.Brende, who was also a former Norwegian foreign minister, said in a statement Thursday that he had decided to leave his role as president and chief executive officer of the World Economic Forum after eight and a half years.The forum said Alois Zwinggi would serve as interim president and CEO of the forum, which hosts the Davos conference in the Swiss Alps.\"I believe now is the right moment for the frum to continue its important work without distractions,\" Brende said.Files related to Epstein released by the Justice Department detailed Brende meeting with the convicted sex offender in 2018 and 2019, at his New York townhouse. The World Economic Forum said at the time it was undertaking an independent review of three business dinners between Brende and Epstein, alongside emails and texts. Brende denied wrongdoing","collect":0,"end_time":0,"defaultTopTitle":"","property":["earning"],"viewcount":null,"language":"en","relate_stocks":{"FET":"Forum Energy Technologies"},"translate_title":"世界经济论坛首席执行官在爱泼斯坦关系调查后辞职","themeId":null,"isJumpTheme":false,"ttsUrl":null,"symbols_score_info":{"FET":1.5},"content_text":"By Aimee Look \n\n\n \n\n\n  The chief executive of the World Economic Forum, Borge Brende, is stepping down, following an investigation initiated by the forum into his links to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. \n\n\n  Brende, who was also a former Norwegian foreign minister, said in a statement Thursday that he had decided to leave his role as president and chief executive officer of the World Economic Forum after eight and a half years. \n\n\n  The forum said Alois Zwinggi would serve as interim president and CEO of the forum, which hosts the Davos conference in the Swiss Alps. \n\n\n  \"I believe now is the right moment for the frum to continue its important work without distractions,\" Brende said. \n\n\n  Files related to Epstein released by the Justice Department detailed Brende meeting with the convicted sex offender in 2018 and 2019, at his New York townhouse. The World Economic Forum said at the time it was undertaking an independent review of three business dinners between Brende and Epstein, alongside emails and texts. Brende denied wrongdoing at the time. \n\n\n   Following the release of the files, Brende said in a statement that he was initially invited to a dinner at Epstein's house by former Norwegian diplomat Terje Rod-Larsen, and attended two others the next year. In both cases, multiple other guests were present, he said. \n\n\n  \"I was completely unaware of Epstein's past and criminal activities,\" Brende said at the time. \n\n\n \n\n\n  Write to Aimee Look at aimee.look@wsj.com \n\n\n \n\n\n  (END) Dow Jones Newswires\n\n\n  February 26, 2026 06:59 ET (11:59 GMT)\n\n\n  Copyright (c) 2026 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.","kind":"highlight","is_publish_news":true,"is_publish_highlight":false,"is_publish_live":false,"is_publish_wemedia":null,"editions":null,"column":"","sentiment":"-1","news_tag":"","news_rank":0,"symbols":[],"gpt_button":0,"need_auth":true,"code":"91000000","status":"200"},"commentList":[],"isCommentEnd":true,"newsSizeData":{"likeSize":0,"commentSize":0,"repostSize":0,"favoriteSize":0,"likeStatus":false,"favoriteStatus":false},"APP":{"userAgent":"Mozilla/5.0 AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko; compatible; ClaudeBot/1.0; +claudebot@anthropic.com)","isDev":false,"isTTM":true,"tenantId":"TBGLOBAL","deviceId":"web-server-community-laohu8-v3","version":"4.36.2","shortVersion":"4.36.2","platform":"web","vendor":"web","appName":"ttm","isIOS":false,"isAndroid":false,"isTiger":false,"isTHS":false,"isWeiXin":false,"isWeiXinMini":false,"isWeiBo":false,"isQQ":false,"isBaiduSwan":false,"isBaiduBox":false,"isDingTalk":false,"isToutiao":false,"isOnePlus":false,"isHuaWei":false,"isXiaomi":false,"isXiaomiWebView":false,"isOppo":false,"isVivo":false,"isSamsung":false,"isMobile":false},"href":"/m/news/2614504596","isCrawlerRequest":true}