Eiffel Tower Leader Set to Exit Following Controversy Over Female Staff Replacement During Hindu Delegation Visit

The chief executive of the company operating the Eiffel Tower will step down after criticism arose when female employees were substituted by male colleagues during a visit by a Hindu religious group.

Patrick Branco Ruivo, who has served as director general of the Paris landmark since 2018, will depart his position at year‑end, according to a statement from SETE.

The company said an internal probe revealed that “operational flaws and shortcomings” in arranging the visit resulted in the “unacceptable” removal of female staff.

Those women were replaced by male coworkers when a delegation of roughly 100 individuals affiliated with the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) visited the tower earlier this month.

BAPS, a movement whose teachings date back to the 18th century, enforces strict gender separation, including in temple rituals and building entrances.

At the time, SETE stated that the Hindu delegation had asked for the visit to be arranged to limit “interactions with women” and acknowledged that “these conditions should not have been accepted”.

A union representative commented that “women were asked to leave their workstations” and described feeling “humiliated”.

Employees at the monument reported that female staff were also “instructed not to enter or traverse certain zones while the delegation was present”.

The incident prompted the tower’s closure as staff went on strike to protest, and politicians denounced the episode.

Yaël Braun-Pivet, president of France’s National Assembly, said after the visit: “I refuse to permit women to be forced to step aside to accommodate the demands of foreign visitors.”

The Socialist mayor of Paris, Emmanuel Grégoire, labeled the decision an “absurd, unjust and unacceptable” move and ordered two separate investigations.

SETE chair Ariel Weil announced on Tuesday that he had requested the implementation of measures and training programs aimed at promoting gender equality.

“The coming months will enable us to prepare for the leadership transition under the best possible conditions,” he added.

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