Eiffel Tower operator SETE said an investigation found operational failures after female staff were excluded during a September 5 BAPS delegation visit.
The chief of the company operating the Eiffel Tower will step down at the end of 2026 following controversy over the removal of women staff during a Hindu religious group’s visit, news agency AFP reported.
Patrick Branco Ruivo, director general of the Société d’Exploitation de la tour Eiffel (SETE) since 2018, will leave his post after an investigation into the September 5 visit by a delegation from the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS). SETE said the probe found “operational flaws and shortcomings” that resulted in the “unacceptable” exclusion of female staff.
The findings come after the incident triggered a staff protest and a one-day closure of the Eiffel Tower on September 7.
The staff at the 330-metre tower staged a walkout on September 8 after women workers were sidelined during a visit by members of Gujarat-based BAPS.
Eiffel Tower closed after women staff ‘sidelined’
The iconic Paris landmark was closed following the protests by the staff after a delegation linked to BAPS made a private visit to the Eiffel Tower.
In a statement, the local trade union condemned “workplace instructions that led to female employees being sidelined, replaced and rendered invisible based on their gender”, according to the French media.
“Some were asked to leave their posts and withdraw to other areas. In some posts they were replaced by men. And all female employees were instructed not to go through or cross certain areas while the delegation was present,” according to the statement quoted by French media.
Union representative Diane Davoine said, “Women were asked to leave their workstations so that men could take their places.”
“That absolutely does not go down well with the employees, with women obviously — who are all humiliated by what happened, by the way some were treated,” Davoine told Reuters.
“Tensions mounted over the weekend, so this morning the employees decided to meet: First, to open a dialogue with management, and second, to ensure that women are never treated this way at the company again,” she said.
Davoine added that the management had since apologised to workers over the incident.
BAPS issued apology
BAPS said the Eiffel Tower visit had been scheduled at the start of normal opening hours because of the size of its delegation and to minimise disruption.
“To the best of our knowledge, at no point was anyone prevented access to the Eiffel Tower. Nevertheless, we sincerely apologise for any pain or inconvenience caused. We believe in the universal values of mutual respect and service,” the organisation said.
BAPS also said the arrangements were intended as a matter of operational courtesy and logistics and were not rooted in gender.
The group was in France for celebrations linked to the inauguration of a Hindu temple near Paris.
Investigation leads to leadership change
SETE said an investigation into the organisation of the September 5 visit found a series of operational failures and shortcomings.
Associated Press reported that the investigation was conducted by an independent firm and found that the failures resulted in female staff being excluded from the visit, which SETE described as “an unacceptable situation”.
Ruivo will now leave the organisation at the end of the year.
SETE board chairman Ariel Weil said the company would use the coming months to prepare for the leadership transition. He also called for the creation of a “dedicated protocol department” and new measures and training programmes to promote gender equality.
The departure does not, by itself, establish that Ruivo personally ordered female employees to be removed. A French report said Ruivo told employees that he had not given instructions to remove or replace women, while acknowledging that women had nevertheless been sidelined during the visit.
The Eiffel Tower, which stands 330 metres tall and attracts around seven million visitors a year, is owned by the City of Paris and operated by SETE.
