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Klaus Schwab in January during this year's WEF. (archive picture)
Keystone
A few days ago, Klaus Schwab resigned as head of the WEF. His departure is said to have been precipitated by an anonymous letter containing serious accusations against him and his family.
Klaus Schwab, the founder of the World Economic Forum (WEF), is at the center of serious allegations. An anonymous letter accuses him and his family of misusing WEF resources for personal gain, as reported by the Wall Street Journal. These new allegations follow earlier reports of a toxic work culture within the forum.
The author of the letter calls himself or herself a "whistleblower" and claims that employees failed to report wrongdoing out of fear for their careers. The letter states: "Employees have been intimidated, exploited or put under pressure for years." The handling of money and staff and the alleged lack of control by the board of trustees are particularly criticized.
At Easter, 88-year-old Schwab resigned from his position as Chairman of the WEF Board of Trustees with immediate effect. The Board of Trustees appointed the previous Vice-Chairman Peter Brabeck-Letmathe as his successor on an interim basis.
Schwab firmly rejects the accusations. In a communiqué available to "Blick", he writes: "There is no evidence whatsoever for any of these accusations."
He also comments on specific accusations: "As the head of an internationally active organization, I benefited from the usual support for this role in terms of transport, travel, communication and security. " If these services were ever used for private purposes, they were reimbursed to the forum.
"It is an outright lie that I asked young employees to withdraw thousands of dollars from ATMs for me," said Schwab.
The WEF founder has since filed criminal charges against unknown persons.
Last year, the Wall Street Journal reported on allegations against Schwab, including sexual harassment and discrimination. The WEF denied these allegations and stated that internal investigations had found no violations.
Schwab's resignation marks the end of an era for the WEF, which he founded in 1971. In recent years, the forum has been increasingly criticized for being perceived as elitist and aloof. With the change in leadership, the WEF faces the challenge of regaining trust and repositioning itself.
