Eiffel Tower director to depart after gender-equality controversy

The head of the company operating the Eiffel Tower will leave his post at the end of the year after a controversy over the exclusion of female employees during a private visit by a Hindu religious delegation. Patrick Branco Ruivo, director general of the Société d’Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel since 2018, will depart following an investigation into the September 5 visit by a delegation linked to the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, known as BAPS. SETE said investigators identified operational flaws and shortcomings that resulted in the unacceptable removal of female employees.

Staff said women were asked to leave workstations, replaced by male colleagues and instructed not to pass through some areas while the delegation was present. The incident led to a staff protest and the temporary closure of the Eiffel Tower. Employees demanded assurances that women would not again be treated differently because of their sex.

SETE had acknowledged that the delegation requested arrangements limiting interactions with women, but said those conditions should never have been accepted. BAPS said the group had visited France for events linked to the opening of a Hindu temple near Paris and apologised for any pain or inconvenience caused. SETE chairman Ariel Weil said the company would establish a dedicated protocol department.

He also announced new measures and training programmes intended to strengthen gender equality and improve arrangements for private and religious visits. The controversy drew criticism in France, where Paris mayor Emmanuel Gregoire called the decision absurd, unjust and unacceptable and ordered separate inquiries. SETE did not say that Ruivo personally instructed staff to remove female employees.

The Eiffel Tower, owned by the city of Paris, attracts nearly seven million visitors each year.