Eiffel Tower operator chief to leave after staff exclusion row

Patrick Branco Ruivo, director general of the company operating the Eiffel Tower, will leave his post at the end of the year after an internal investigation into the treatment of female staff during a Hindu religious group’s visit. The operator, SETE, said the probe found operational failures and shortcomings that led to the unacceptable removal of women employees during the September 5 visit by a delegation linked to the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, or BAPS. The arrangements prompted a staff walkout and the closure of the landmark for a day.

Employees said some women were removed from their posts, replaced by male colleagues or told not to cross parts of the tower while the delegation was present. SETE previously acknowledged that the delegation had asked for the visit to be organised to limit interactions with women. The company said those conditions should not have been accepted.

SETE chairman Ariel Weil said a dedicated protocol department would be created. He also called for new measures and training programmes to promote gender equality and prevent similar decisions during future visits. The controversy prompted criticism from across France’s political spectrum.

Paris mayor Emmanuel Gregoire described the removal of women as absurd, unjust and unacceptable, and ordered separate investigations. BAPS apologised for any pain or inconvenience caused by the incident. The Eiffel Tower is owned by the city of Paris and receives nearly seven million visitors a year.

The leadership change follows the investigation into how the private delegation’s visit was organised, although SETE did not say Ruivo personally instructed employees to be removed.