WEF employees accuse Schwab, leadership of discrimination
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Throughout his career, Klaus Schwab has created a poisonous environment for women and people of color, allegedly firing at least six female employees during pregnancy or after returning from parental leave.
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Klaus Schwab, chairman of the WEF addresses attendees during the opening of the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on January 16, 2024. (AP)
Employees at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos have accused the organization's founder, Klaus Schwab, and its leadership of discrimination and harassment against women and people of color, The Wall Street Journal reported.
During his long career, Schwab created a poisonous environment for women and people of color, firing at least six female employees during pregnancy or after returning from parental leave, according to the report.
Other women reported sexual harassment from top supervisors, including Schwab himself, according to the investigation.
The report details that internal complaints were also lodged after Black employees were unapologetically called out, barred from the forum, or denied advancement.
Last month, Semafor news reported that Schwab will step down from his job as CEO, which he had held since the forum's inception in 1971, to become Non-Executive Chairman.
The annual World Economic Forum, sponsored by the Swiss city of Davos, brings together notable leaders from industry, politics, and academia from all over the world to address the most serious issues in global politics and economics.
Earlier in January, Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, asked his country's officials to skip this year's World Economic Forum in Davos over the organizers' stance on "Israel's" war on Gaza.
They added that Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek was going to attend the annual gathering until Erdogan reversed the decision.
Erdogan's and Simsek's offices both declined to comment. The World Economic Forum did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment today.
