Eiffel Tower Chief To Step Down After Row Over Removal Of Women Staff During BAPS Visit
Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
Patrick Branco Ruivo, director general of the company operating the Eiffel Tower, will step down at the end of 2026 following an internal investigation into the removal of female staff during a September visit by a Hindu religious delegation.
Société d’Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel (SETE), which operates the Paris landmark, said on Tuesday that its investigation had identified “operational flaws and shortcomings” in the organisation of the visit, which resulted in what it described as the “unacceptable” removal of women staff. Ruivo has headed the organisation since 2018.
Women Staff Asked To Leave Posts
The controversy followed a September 5 visit by the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) spiritual movement.
SETE had earlier acknowledged that the delegation had requested arrangements intended to limit interactions with women. The company said such conditions “should not have been accepted” and were inconsistent with its values and principles of equality between men and women.
Eiffel Tower employees said instructions were issued that resulted in female staff being sidelined, replaced and prevented from entering certain areas while the delegation was present.
According to the staff statement, some women were asked to leave their posts and move elsewhere, while men replaced some of them at certain positions.
Staff Walkout Led To Eiffel Tower Closure
The incident triggered a staff walkout and the temporary closure of the Eiffel Tower. Employees publicly criticised the instructions and said they had been placed in a situation that conflicted with workplace equality.
The controversy also prompted a political reaction in Paris, where the issue drew attention because of France's emphasis on secularism and gender equality.
Paris Mayor Emmanuel Gregoire had described the decision to remove women staff as unacceptable and ordered two separate investigations.
New Protocol And Gender Equality Measures
SETE board chairman Ariel Weil said the organisation would establish a dedicated protocol department and introduce additional measures and training programmes focused on gender equality.
“We must learn fully from this situation,” Weil said, according to the company. The measures are intended to prevent similar incidents in future.
A person close to Mayor Gregoire said the mayor had acknowledged Ruivo's decision to leave and praised his work at the Eiffel Tower and SETE since his appointment.
The person also said preparations should now begin for the leadership transition and that lessons from the incident should be applied to prevent a recurrence.
BAPS Apologises
BAPS, which had organised the religious delegation's visit, apologised for “any pain or inconvenience caused” by the incident.
The controversy came as BAPS opened its first major temple near Paris during the same weekend.
The Eiffel Tower, owned by the City of Paris, attracts nearly seven million visitors each year, making the incident a significant organisational and reputational issue for its operating company.
