Patrick Branco Ruivo, the chief executive of the company that runs the Eiffel Tower, will step down at the end of the year following an outcry over the removal of female staff during a visit by a Hindu religious group. The operator, SETE, announced his departure in a statement after an internal investigation into how the visit was handled.
Branco Ruivo has served as director general of the Paris landmark since 2018. SETE said its inquiry found that “operational flaws and shortcomings” in organising the visit had led to the removal of female employees, which it described as unacceptable. Women working at the tower were replaced by male colleagues while a delegation of around 100 people linked to the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) movement toured the monument earlier in September.
At the time, SETE said the delegation had asked for the visit to be arranged in a way that limited interactions with women, and acknowledged that those conditions should not have been accepted. A staff union representative said female employees had been asked to leave their workstations and felt humiliated. Staff also said women were told not to pass through or cross certain areas while the group was present. The episode led to the tower being closed when employees went on strike in protest.
The incident drew sharp criticism from French politicians. Yaël Braun-Pivet, president of the National Assembly, said she refused to allow women to be made to step aside to meet the demands of foreign visitors. The Socialist mayor of Paris, Emmanuel Gregoire, called the decision absurd, unjust and unacceptable and ordered two separate investigations. BAPS, a movement whose beliefs date back to the 18th century and which strictly separates men and women, apologised for any pain or inconvenience caused.
SETE chair Ariel Weil said he had asked for measures and training programmes promoting gender equality to be put in place. He said the coming months would allow the company “to prepare for the leadership transition under the best possible conditions”. Branco Ruivo, who has led the monument’s operator for eight years, is due to remain in the role until his departure at the end of the year.
