Barbro Ehnbom

UpdatedSeptember 2, 2026

ByEpsteinWiki

Swedish American businesswoman whose professional networks, scholarship programs, financial arrangements, and introductions of young women to Jeffrey Epstein are documented across emails, payment records, institutional statements, and investigative reporting.

Snapshot

Full name: Barbro Christina Ehnbom
Also known as: Barbro C. Ehnbom
Born: August 7, 1945, Bromma, Stockholm, Sweden
Died: Living
Nationality or citizenship: Swedish; publicly described as Swedish American
Occupation or public role: Businesswoman, investment adviser, life sciences organizer, founder of Barbro’s Best & Brightest and the Swedish American Life Science Summit
EpsteinWiki classification: Documented Epstein associate, funding recipient, professional network operator, and intermediary who introduced young adult women to Epstein
Documented Epstein connection: Corresponded with Epstein for years, received recurring funding connected to her programs, organized gatherings involving members of her professional network at Epstein’s Manhattan residence, transmitted photographs and biographical information about young women, and proposed women for meetings or employment with Epstein
Legal status: No publicly documented criminal charge or adjudicated finding against Ehnbom in connection with Epstein
Relevant period: Approximately 2001 through 2017
Primary locations: Stockholm and New York City
Associated organizations: Barbro’s Best & Brightest, Female Economist of the Year, Barbro Ehnbom Fund, Stockholm School of Economics, Swedish American Life Science Summit, DuHaan Groupe, Enhanced Education, C.O.U.Q. Foundation
Known Epstein Data profile: Barbro Ehnbom on Epstein Data
Key EFTA records: EFTA01815343, EFTA01777256, EFTA02163276, EFTA02007282, EFTA01890618, EFTA02558603, EFTA02567144, EFTA01899023, EFTA00963750, EFTA02128517, EFTA02126096, EFTA00370232, EFTA02040177, EFTA00459520, EFTA02218359
Related cases: Jeffrey Epstein criminal investigations; institutional review by the Stockholm School of Economics; reporting concerning Princess Sofia of Sweden
Content warning: Sexual exploitation, alleged recruitment practices, abuse of professional trust, and exposure of private information belonging to young women
Key takeaway: The released records establish a sustained relationship in which Ehnbom obtained Epstein connected funding, brought members of her women’s network into Epstein’s orbit, supplied photographs and personal information, and continued communicating with him after his 2008 conviction. They do not establish that every BBB participant met Epstein, knew about his crimes, or experienced abuse.

Key Takeaways

Ehnbom founded the Female Economist of the Year program and Barbro’s Best & Brightest, known as BBB, as initiatives intended to advance young women in business.
Jeffrey Epstein became a financial supporter of activities associated with these programs. Payments were commonly coordinated through Epstein employees Lesley Groff and Richard Kahn.
The Stockholm School of Economics has confirmed that Epstein linked foundations donated over several years to the Barbro Ehnbom Fund. The school says it ended its relationship with Ehnbom in 2015 after learning of the connection.
Emails document Ehnbom sending Epstein photographs, ages, contact details, and descriptions of young women from her network. Some descriptions combined professional qualifications with physical or sexualized language.
In one 2012 exchange, Epstein asked Ehnbom for her annual “wife choice.” Ehnbom proposed a 24 year old project manager and described her as intelligent and sensual.
Ehnbom proposed at least one Swedish psychology student as a possible traveling assistant for Epstein. The available correspondence records requests for photographs, contact information, and a video call.
BBB gatherings were held at Epstein’s Manhattan residence. Epstein’s staff requested lists and biographies of the women expected to attend.
Released correspondence shows that payments connected to Ehnbom’s programs continued after Epstein’s 2008 conviction and after the Stockholm School of Economics says it separated itself from Ehnbom in 2015.
Ehnbom has said she did not know the extent of Epstein’s crimes and has expressed revulsion at what later became known. She separately told Expressen that she continued associating with him after 2008 because people in her circle regarded his conviction as politically motivated.
No record cited here establishes that every woman whose information was transmitted consented to that disclosure, met Epstein, was victimized, or participated in wrongdoing.

Overview

Barbro Ehnbom is a Swedish born businesswoman who developed a career in American pharmaceuticals, finance, investment banking, and life sciences. She studied at the Stockholm School of Economics, conducted doctoral work, moved to the United States in 1969, and later held positions in pharmaceutical marketing, securities analysis, corporate development, and investment advisory work.

Ehnbom established the Female Economist of the Year scholarship at the Stockholm School of Economics in 2001. She also created Barbro’s Best & Brightest, a professional network intended to promote women in Swedish and international business. Members were offered access to established business leaders whom Ehnbom called “Friends” or “Best Male Supporters.”

Epstein was one of the program’s financial supporters. The relationship extended well beyond an isolated donation. Released records document recurring payments, social and professional gatherings at Epstein’s Manhattan residence, introductions, discussions about possible assistants, photographs of young women, and correspondence concerning members of Ehnbom’s network.

The professional benefits offered by BBB were real for at least some participants. That legitimate function does not erase the separate evidentiary record showing that young women entering a trusted career network could also be brought into Epstein’s environment. The important issue is not membership in BBB itself. It is how institutional credibility, mentorship, personal information, and access to young women were used in communications with a convicted sex offender.

The Stockholm School of Economics acknowledged in February 2026 that young women had come into contact with Epstein through someone they trusted. The school apologized for failing to examine the scholarship’s outside expectations and sources of funding more closely.

Identity Verification

Barbro Christina Ehnbom was born in Bromma, Stockholm, on August 7, 1945. Her official biography describes her as the daughter of Bertil Ehnbom and Astrid Grönstedt and as the youngest of five siblings.

Ehnbom graduated from the Stockholm School of Economics in 1967 and later undertook doctoral studies in Sweden and at Columbia University. Her professional biographies identify roles in pharmaceutical companies, Wall Street research, investment banking, and life sciences consulting.

Her documented organizations include:

DuHaan Groupe: An investment advisory business associated with Swedish and American life sciences transactions.

Female Economist of the Year: A scholarship and career development program founded at the Stockholm School of Economics in 2001.

Barbro’s Best & Brightest: A broader network of scholarship candidates, recipients, alumnae, mentors, and business contacts.

Swedish American Life Science Summit: A conference founded by Ehnbom that connected Swedish and American business, research, political, and life sciences figures.

The Barbro C. Ehnbom appearing in the EFTA correspondence is identifiable through her name, email signature, references to BBB, scholarship funding, SALSS, Stockholm School of Economics, family members, and known professional associates.

Documented Epstein Connection

Ehnbom’s connection with Jeffrey Epstein was financial, social, and operational.

Epstein or Epstein controlled entities supplied recurring funds associated with the Barbro Ehnbom Fund, BBB, and the Female Economist of the Year program. The Stockholm School of Economics has identified Enhanced Education and the C.O.U.Q. Foundation as Epstein linked entities that donated to the fund.

Epstein’s employees handled payment logistics. Emails involving Lesley Groff and Richard Kahn discuss checks, wire transfers, previous annual payments, and the wording used on payment records.

Ehnbom also arranged or participated in BBB gatherings at Epstein’s Manhattan residence. His staff requested attendee lists and biographies. Reporting by Dagens ETC found that some attendees felt uncomfortable and that women had been given appearance instructions, including a reported “bare legs” dress expectation.

Separate correspondence shows Ehnbom transmitting photographs and personal descriptions of women. Some emails concerned possible introductions. Others presented women as possible assistants or people Epstein “should meet.” The documentary pattern is significant because Epstein was not merely receiving institutional scholarship reports. He was receiving individualized photographs, ages, contact details, and descriptions of particular young women.

One public example concerns Sofia Hellqvist, now Princess Sofia of Sweden. The Swedish Royal Court has confirmed that Sofia met Epstein on a few occasions around 2005 after being introduced through Ehnbom. The court says the meetings occurred in social settings, that Sofia did not visit Epstein’s Caribbean island, and that she did not receive acting school or immigration assistance from him.

Ehnbom continued communicating with Epstein after his 2008 conviction. In 2026, she told Expressen that she and others in her New York circle had regarded the prosecution as politically motivated. That statement helps explain her continued contact but does not change the fact of the conviction or the public information available about it.

Evidence Appearances

EFTA01815343

Date: 2010
Document type: Email concerning financial support
Ehnbom’s role: Requester and beneficiary of funding associated with “Barbro’s Fund”
Evidence link: View EFTA01815343
What the record establishes: The correspondence documents an approximately $25,000 funding request associated with Ehnbom’s program. It forms part of a recurring payment pattern later referenced by Epstein’s staff.
What the record does not establish: It does not independently show how every dollar was spent or establish that scholarship recipients knew Epstein supplied the funding.

EFTA01777256

Date: 2011
Document type: Payment coordination email
Ehnbom’s role: Recipient associated with an annual program payment
Evidence link: View EFTA01777256
What the record establishes: Epstein’s employees discussed a $25,000 payment and referred to a similar payment made the previous year. This supports the conclusion that funding was recurring.
What the record does not establish: It does not prove that all Stockholm School of Economics personnel knew who controlled the funding source.

EFTA02364357

Date: December 2011
Document type: Introduction email
Ehnbom’s role: Intermediary between a BBB member and Eva Andersson Dubin
Evidence link: View EFTA02364357
What the record establishes: Ehnbom used her network to connect a BBB participant with an established member of Epstein’s social circle.
What the record does not establish: The introduction alone does not demonstrate exploitation, criminal conduct, or knowledge of Epstein’s abuse.

EFTA02163276

Date: 2012
Document type: Check coordination email
Ehnbom’s role: Recipient associated with a $25,000 payment
Evidence link: View EFTA02163276
What the record establishes: Epstein’s office arranged delivery of a $25,000 check connected to Ehnbom’s activities before her return to Sweden.
What the record does not establish: The email does not provide a complete accounting of the eventual use of the funds.

EFTA02558603

Date: August 2012
Document type: Fundraising solicitation
Ehnbom’s role: Solicitor of a proposed $1 million contribution
Evidence link: View EFTA02558603
What the record establishes: Ehnbom asked Epstein for substantially greater support and credited him with helping the network affect the lives of approximately 150 women.
What the record does not establish: The available record does not confirm that Epstein paid the requested $1 million.

EFTA02007282

Date: August 20, 2012
Document type: Email exchange concerning a young woman
Ehnbom’s role: Proposed a SALSS project manager in response to Epstein’s request
Evidence link: View EFTA02007282
What the record establishes: Epstein asked who Ehnbom’s “wife choice” was that year. Ehnbom responded by proposing the current SALSS project manager, describing her as intelligent and sensual, and attaching a photograph.
What the record does not establish: It does not reveal what Epstein meant by “wife choice,” whether the woman knew about the exchange, or whether she subsequently met him.

EFTA01890618

Date: 2012
Document type: Personal introduction email
Ehnbom’s role: Described a 24 year old BBB participant to Epstein
Evidence link: View EFTA01890618
What the record establishes: Ehnbom highlighted the woman’s academic and professional accomplishments, age, and suitability for meeting Epstein.
What the record does not establish: It does not establish misconduct by the woman or show that she understood the context in which her information was shared.

EFTA00714512

Date: Released correspondence from the relevant 2012 through 2017 period
Document type: Email with photograph
Ehnbom’s role: Sender of a BBB member’s image
Evidence link: View EFTA00714512
What the record establishes: Ehnbom sent Epstein a photograph accompanied by a description focused on the woman’s appearance and clothing.
What the record does not establish: It does not document the woman’s consent to the transmission or prove that she met Epstein.

EFTA02584905

Date: Released correspondence from the relevant 2012 through 2017 period
Document type: Email with attached photograph
Ehnbom’s role: Sender of an image labeled as a BBB participant
Evidence link: View EFTA02584905
What the record establishes: A photograph identifying a woman through the BBB network was transmitted to Epstein.
What the record does not establish: A photograph alone does not establish victimization, a meeting, or wrongdoing by the person depicted.

EFTA02517560

Date: Released correspondence from the relevant 2012 through 2017 period
Document type: Introduction email with photograph
Ehnbom’s role: Sender describing a new Swedish BBB member
Evidence link: View EFTA02517560
What the record establishes: Ehnbom sent Epstein an image of a woman she described as the latest new Swedish member of BBB.
What the record does not establish: It does not establish why the woman joined BBB, whether she consented to the disclosure, or whether Epstein contacted her.

EFTA02474845

Date: Released correspondence from the relevant 2012 through 2017 period
Document type: Email containing a photograph and telephone information
Ehnbom’s role: Transmitter of a BBB member’s personal information
Evidence link: View EFTA02474845
What the record establishes: Ehnbom sent Epstein a woman’s photograph and telephone information while identifying her as a recent BBB member.
What the record does not establish: It does not establish the woman’s consent or show what Epstein did with the information.

EFTA00977733

Date: Relevant correspondence from the BBB recruitment period
Document type: Email concerning identification of a potential woman
Ehnbom’s role: Associated with a selection process involving her son, Marcus Forss
Evidence link: View EFTA00977733
What the record establishes: The correspondence distinguishes between a desirable date and what Epstein called a “real person,” while requesting help identifying someone suitable.
What the record does not establish: The language does not, by itself, establish a completed introduction or criminal agreement.

EFTA02567144

Date: March 16, 2013
Document type: Employment introduction email
Ehnbom’s role: Proposed a Swedish psychology student as Epstein’s possible next assistant
Evidence link: View EFTA02567144
What the record establishes: Ehnbom offered to connect Epstein with a psychology student identified here as J., describing her as a possible successor to one of his assistants. Epstein subsequently requested a video call.
What the record does not establish: It does not establish that J. obtained the position, traveled to Epstein’s properties, or knew about his criminal history.

EFTA01899023

Date: March 2013
Document type: Forwarded personal introduction
Ehnbom’s role: Intermediary transmitting information from a prospective assistant
Evidence link: View EFTA01899023
What the record establishes: J. provided a personal narrative mentioning her age, psychology studies, modeling experience, interests, and willingness to travel. The communication reached Epstein through the introduction process.
What the record does not establish: The personal narrative does not establish that J. understood the nature of Epstein’s interest or that any employment relationship resulted.

EFTA00963750

Date: June 25, 2013
Document type: Email with contact details and photographs
Ehnbom’s role: Forwarded J.’s information directly to Epstein
Evidence link: View EFTA00963750
What the record establishes: Ehnbom sent Epstein J.’s contact information with two photographs and an emphatic subject line linking Epstein and J.
What the record does not establish: It does not show that a video call, interview, trip, or employment arrangement ultimately occurred.

EFTA00968091

Date: August 20, 2013
Document type: Email linking an assistant proposal with funding
Ehnbom’s role: Organizer seeking a BBB donation while arranging contact with a BBB member
Evidence link: View EFTA00968091
What the record establishes: Epstein responded to an inquiry concerning a BBB participant by connecting the arrival of a new assistant with a $25,000 donation.
What the record does not establish: The brief exchange does not explain whether the statement was a condition, a joke, or a completed transaction. It requires interpretation alongside the broader payment and introduction record.

EFTA02128517

Date: September 12, 2013
Document type: Internal scheduling email
Ehnbom’s role: Organizer expected to provide attendee information
Evidence link: View EFTA02128517
What the record establishes: Epstein’s office requested Ehnbom’s list of women and their biographies for an upcoming BBB gathering.
What the record does not establish: The record does not show that every listed participant attended, met Epstein personally, or knew his criminal history.

EFTA02126096

Date: 2013
Document type: Payment history email
Ehnbom’s role: Recipient associated with another $25,000 payment
Evidence link: View EFTA02126096
What the record establishes: Richard Kahn consulted previous check records while coordinating another payment associated with Ehnbom’s fund.
What the record does not establish: It does not provide a complete institutional accounting or establish which officials knew Epstein controlled the funds.

EFTA00370232

Date: 2014
Document type: Thank you and program update email
Ehnbom’s role: Funding recipient and network organizer
Evidence link: View EFTA00370232
What the record establishes: Ehnbom thanked Epstein following an approximately $25,000 contribution and discussed a new woman associated with her network.
What the record does not establish: The proximity of funding and an introduction does not, without additional evidence, prove an unlawful exchange.

EFTA02040177

Date: 2014
Document type: Payment coordination email
Ehnbom’s role: Program organizer associated with a $30,000 payment to the Stockholm School of Economics
Evidence link: View EFTA02040177
What the record establishes: The record documents a $30,000 payment associated with the school and Ehnbom’s activities, an increase over the recurring $25,000 amount described in other correspondence.
What the record does not establish: It does not establish that the school’s current management knew the true source or purpose of every contribution.

EFTA00459520

Date: July 2017
Document type: Wire instruction email
Ehnbom’s role: Sender of banking information and recipient of recurring support
Evidence link: View EFTA00459520
What the record establishes: Ehnbom supplied wire instructions and used language indicating that the requested payment was another installment in a recurring pattern.
What the record does not establish: It does not independently show that Stockholm School of Economics remained involved after its 2015 separation from Ehnbom.

EFTA02218359

Date: August 2017
Document type: Wire transfer and event logistics correspondence
Ehnbom’s role: Organizer awaiting funds before a BBB gathering
Evidence link: View EFTA02218359
What the record establishes: The correspondence ties a delayed $25,000 wire to immediate operational concerns surrounding a BBB event. It demonstrates continued financial contact with Epstein in 2017.
What the record does not establish: It does not prove that any attendee knew Epstein funded the event or that the event itself involved criminal activity.

EFTA00775965

Date: February 7, 2010
Document type: Personal update with photograph
Ehnbom’s role: Sender updating Epstein about Sofia Hellqvist
Evidence link: View EFTA00775965
What the record establishes: Ehnbom sent Epstein a photograph and personal update concerning Sofia years after their original introduction.
What the record does not establish: It does not demonstrate continued direct contact between Sofia and Epstein. The Royal Court says Sofia’s encounters with him were limited and occurred around 2005.

Relevant Timeline

1967: Ehnbom graduates from the Stockholm School of Economics.

1969: She relocates to the United States after leaving doctoral studies and begins developing a career in pharmaceuticals, finance, and investment advisory work.

2001: Ehnbom establishes the Female Economist of the Year scholarship and Barbro’s Best & Brightest.

2002: Epstein is publicly identified within the scholarship network as a prominent male supporter, according to later institutional and investigative reporting.

Around 2005: Ehnbom introduces Sofia Hellqvist and a friend to Epstein. The Swedish Royal Court later confirms that Sofia met Epstein in social settings on a few occasions but did not accept an invitation to his Caribbean island.

2008: Epstein pleads guilty in Florida to offenses involving prostitution and a minor. Ehnbom continues communicating with him afterward.

2010: Emails document an approximately $25,000 funding request and a personal update from Ehnbom to Epstein concerning Sofia.

2011: Epstein’s staff processes another $25,000 contribution and references a similar payment in the previous year.

2012: Ehnbom seeks substantially expanded funding. Epstein asks for her annual “wife choice,” and Ehnbom proposes a 24 year old SALSS project manager using both professional and sexualized language. A BBB gathering involving several Swedish women is held at Epstein’s Manhattan residence.

2013: Ehnbom proposes a Swedish psychology student as a possible Epstein assistant. Photographs and contact information are forwarded. Epstein’s office requests lists and biographies for another BBB gathering. Additional funding is coordinated.

2014: Correspondence documents further payments, including a $30,000 transaction associated with the Stockholm School of Economics.

2015: Reuters questions the Stockholm School of Economics about Epstein connected donations. The school reviews the relationship, separates the Barbro Ehnbom Fund administratively, and ends its collaboration with Ehnbom.

2017: Ehnbom continues corresponding with Epstein. Released records document additional $25,000 wire transfers associated with BBB activities.

2019: Epstein is arrested on federal sex trafficking charges and dies in federal custody before trial.

2022: Dagens ETC publishes an investigation into Ehnbom, BBB, Stockholm School of Economics, Epstein funding, and gatherings at Epstein’s residence.

December 2025: The Stockholm School of Economics issues a public clarification. The Swedish Royal Court confirms Sofia’s limited meetings with Epstein.

February 2026: The Stockholm School of Economics publishes a stronger statement apologizing for its failures and acknowledging that young women came into contact with Epstein through someone they trusted.

April 2026: Ehnbom tells Expressen that she continued associating with Epstein because people around her believed his 2008 prosecution was politically motivated.

Legal Status and Evidence Limits

Ehnbom has not been convicted or publicly charged with trafficking, recruitment, conspiracy, or another Epstein related offense.

The documentary record nevertheless supports several narrower findings. She maintained a sustained relationship with Epstein. She requested and received recurring financial support. She transmitted photographs and personal information about young women. She proposed women for meetings or employment. She helped organize gatherings involving members of her network at Epstein’s residence. She continued communicating with him after his 2008 conviction.

Those facts do not establish that every BBB event was improper or that every introduction resulted in exploitation. They also do not establish wrongdoing by the women whose names, photographs, applications, or biographies appear in the released files.

Ehnbom has said that she did not know about the scope of Epstein’s crimes and would have ended the relationship had she known. She has expressed revulsion at his conduct and sympathy for victims. Her later statement that she considered the 2008 case politically motivated is relevant because it explains why the conviction did not cause her to sever contact.

The Stockholm School of Economics says current management learned of the Epstein connection in 2015. It has also disclosed that information received later suggested earlier school leadership may have known about donations or connections, while former leaders denied that account. The institution describes this as unresolved.

Swedish reporting has stated that authorities did not identify a sufficient basis to suspect Ehnbom of a crime. That prosecutorial status is not equivalent to a factual finding that every aspect of the relationship was appropriate.

Any use of the documents should protect the women whose information was exposed. Inclusion in correspondence, a scholarship file, an attendee list, or a photograph does not make a person an Epstein associate or establish knowledge of his crimes.

Sleuth and Independent Reporting

Epstein Exposed’s investigation into Ehnbom and the Swedish network assembled the principal photo, introduction, gathering, and payment records into a single chronology. Its interpretation that BBB functioned partly as a recruitment pipeline is investigative analysis rather than an adjudicated legal finding. The underlying EFTA records independently establish the correspondence, descriptions, payments, and event planning on which that analysis relies.

Amanda Matta’s Matta of Fact Substack examined the royal dimension, including Ehnbom’s introduction of Sofia Hellqvist to Epstein and the subsequent Royal Court response. That reporting should be read together with the court’s statements that Sofia’s meetings were limited, social, and did not include travel to Epstein’s island.

Dagens ETC’s investigation reported testimony from women who attended BBB related events at Epstein’s residence. The reporting described discomfort among some attendees, appearance expectations, and concern over how the Stockholm School of Economics handled the relationship.

Swedish reporting in 2026 estimated that Epstein connected funding reaching Ehnbom associated activities through the Stockholm School of Economics may have totaled approximately $420,000 when a broader set of payments was included. That figure is broader than the approximately $205,000 represented by the recurring payment records indexed above and should not be treated as the same calculation.

Related EpsteinWiki Pages

Sources

PostedFebruary 25, 2026