Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, who won the H3.B subcategory at the 2025 Dakar Classic, has been appointed acting chairman of the World Economic Forum. He replaces Klaus Schwab, who founded the WEF in 1971 before stepping down on Sunday.

Brabeck-Letmathe was serving as the WEF’s vice chairman before being named to his current post, the latter officially designed as “Chairman ad interim”. The WEF Board of Trustees has created a committee to find a permanent replacement.

January marked Brabeck-Letmathe’s third Dakar Classic. He made his debut in 2022, finishing 39th in H2, followed by a seventh in the same class at the 2023 edition. In the 2025 Classic, he and navigator Jean-Michel Gayte placed 32nd overall, fourth in H3, and tops for H3.B. At 80 years of age, Brabeck-Letmathe was the oldest driver in the field.

All three of his Dakar entries have come in a Mitsubishi Pajero that previously finished third in the 1999 Granada–Dakar Rally with Jutta Kleinschmidt. From the 2023 Classic onward, he switched its livery to the one used by Kleinschmidt in that race, including PlayStation and Borbet branding.

His sons Andres and Nicolas raced the 2025 Classic in their own Pajero, but retired after five stages. Peter and Andres also did the 2023 Africa Eco Race in the Classic category, while Nicolas has raced the main Dakar Rally eight times as a bike rider and SSV driver.

Brabeck-Letmathe was previously the chairman and CEO of Nestlé Group, and also chaired the Formula One Group.

The World Economic Forum is an NGO and think tank whose self-described goal is “improving the state of the world” through the “power of human ingenuity, entrepreneurship, innovation and cooperation.”

Featured image credit: Murilo Matos / FOTOP