Borge Brende announced Thursday he was resigning as head of the World Economic Forum, which organises the annual Davos summit, after revelations of his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
"After careful consideration, I have decided to step down as President and CEO of the World Economic Forum," the former Norwegian foreign minister said in a statement.
He said his 8.5 years at the helm had "been profoundly rewarding", but that he believed "now is the right moment for the Forum to continue its important work without distractions".
The WEF earlier this month said it would conduct an independent review of Brende's interactions with Epstein, after his name turned up dozens of times in the millions of documents released by the US Justice Department in the case of the convicted sex offender.
Appearing in the released Epstein files does not in itself imply wrongdoing.
The WEF said Thursday that the review of Brende had concluded.
"The findings stated that there were no additional concerns beyond what has been previously disclosed," it said.
The organisation expressed "sincere appreciation for Borge Brende's significant contributions to the World Economic Forum", adding: "We respect his decision to step down."
WEF said that its managing director Alois Zwinggi had been appointed interim president and CEO while the board begins the process of finding a permanent successor for Brende.
Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to procuring a child for prostitution and served 13 months of an 18-month sentence. He was facing charges of alleged sex trafficking when he killed himself in detention in 2019.
Brende said in a statement earlier this month that during a visit to New York in 2018, he received an invitation for former Norwegian deputy prime minister Terje Rod-Larsen to join him for dinner with several other leaders, plus "someone who was presented to me as an American investor, Jeffrey Epstein".
"The following year, I attended two similar dinners with Epstein, alongside other diplomats and business leaders. These dinners, and a few emails and SMS messages, were the extent of my interactions with him," he said.
"I was completely unaware of Epstein's past and criminal activities."
He said that had he known about Epstein's background, he would have declined the initial invitation for dinner and any other subsequent invitations or communications.
Brende said he recognised that he could have conducted a more thorough investigation into Epstein's history, and regretted not doing so.
© Agence France-Presse
