WEF Chief Quits as Epstein Files Topple Global Elite

Davos Forum Loses Its Leader

The World Economic Forum — the Swiss institution that has long styled itself as the conscience of global capitalism — lost its top executive on Thursday after an internal probe confirmed its president and CEO, Børge Brende, had dined three times with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and exchanged emails and text messages with him. Brende's resignation, effective immediately, came less than 24 hours after the independent review concluded there were no concerns "beyond what had already been disclosed." The WEF's board appointed Alois Zwinggi as interim leader while it searches for a permanent replacement.

"Had I known about Epstein's past, I would never have had any contact with him," Brende said in a statement, adding that he regretted not investigating the financier's background more thoroughly before accepting introductions through a Norwegian political contact in 2018.

A Rolling Wave of Consequences

Brende's exit is the most prominent corporate casualty yet in a months-long reckoning triggered by the US Department of Justice's release of millions of Epstein-related emails and documents. The files, published in January 2026, have ignited criminal investigations and career collapses on both sides of the Atlantic at a speed that has stunned observers.

In the United Kingdom, Prince Andrew — stripped of his royal titles by King Charles III last year — was arrested on February 19 on suspicion of misconduct in public office for allegedly sharing confidential trade documents with Epstein while serving as the UK's trade envoy in 2010. He was released after eleven hours without charge. Four days later, Peter Mandelson, the veteran Labour politician who until recently served as British ambassador to Washington, was arrested on identical suspicion: investigators believe he passed Epstein advance notice of Prime Minister Gordon Brown's resignation and sensitive details of an imminent bank bailout package. Mandelson was released on bail; neither he nor the former prince has been charged.

In Norway, former Prime Minister Thorbjørn Jagland faces a more serious charge — "aggravated corruption" — after emails showed Epstein paid for family travel to his private properties.

Business and Academia Feel the Heat

Corporate boardrooms have not escaped the fallout. Tom Pritzker, chairman of Hyatt Hotels, and Kathy Ruemmler, Goldman Sachs' chief legal officer, both stepped down after their names surfaced in the files. According to NBC News, Harvard economist Larry Summers announced he will leave his professorship at the end of the academic year; Columbia University Nobel laureate Richard Axel has also resigned. Hollywood agent Casey Wasserman has put his talent agency up for sale.

Multiple countries — Norway, France, and the United Kingdom — have launched formal investigations into the conduct of their citizens named in the files.

A Transatlantic Divide

The contrast between Europe and the United States is striking. Al Jazeera's analysis notes that while European governments have pursued arrests and criminal charges, Washington's response has been conspicuously muted — a disparity analysts attribute partly to the Trump administration's political calculus and to the sheer number of prominent American names involved.

As Brende joins the growing list of casualties, the WEF — which convenes heads of state and corporate chieftains in Davos each January to shape global policy — faces its own credibility crisis at a moment when multilateral institutions are already under intense pressure from nationalist governments worldwide.