Børge Brende, president and CEO of the World Economic Forum, announced his resignation on Thursday after an independent review of his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.

Brende, who had led the organization for more than eight years, stated that he decided to step down "after careful consideration" to allow the forum to continue its work "without distractions." The former Norwegian foreign minister recently interviewed U.S. President Donald Trump at the WEF's annual Davos meeting about a month ago.

The departure follows revelations in recently unsealed U.S. Department of Justice Epstein files, which detailed Brende's interactions with the convicted sex offender. Documents showed Brende dined with Epstein three times between 2018 and 2019, including at Epstein's New York home, and exchanged friendly emails and text messages. One text from Brende read, "Missing you, Sir," after a dinner that also included former Trump aide Steve Bannon and a Norwegian government minister. Their last communication occurred a week before Epstein's 2019 arrest on federal sex-trafficking charges.

Brende maintained he was "completely unaware" of Epstein's criminal history at the time and regretted not investigating further. The WEF launched an independent probe on February 5 after disclosures on February 12, which concluded there were "no additional concerns beyond what has been previously disclosed."

WEF co-chairs André Hoffmann and Larry Fink thanked Brende for his "significant contributions" and said they respected his decision. Swiss businessman Alois Zwinggi, a WEF managing director, will serve as interim president and CEO while the board searches for a permanent successor.

Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial, had been convicted in 2008 of soliciting prostitution from a minor. The release of over 3 million pages of documents has triggered fallout among global elites, including resignations by Hyatt's Tom Pritzker, Goldman Sachs' Kathy Ruemmler, and others, as well as investigations into figures like Britain's Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. No wrongdoing has been alleged against Brende.

Brende joined the WEF in 2017 after serving as Norway's foreign minister. His tenure oversaw expansions in the organization's global influence amid criticism of its Davos gatherings as elite echo chambers.