Patrick Branco Ruivo, director general of the company operating the Eiffel Tower, will step down at the end of 2026 following an internal investigation into the exclusion of female employees during a September visit by a Hindu religious delegation. The controversy sparked a staff strike and widespread political condemnation across France.
The fallout from a private spiritual visit to Paris’s most famous landmark has claimed its top administrative casualty. Patrick Branco Ruivo announced that he will leave his post as director general of the Société d’Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel, known as SETE, by the close of 2026. His departure follows an independent inquiry that laid bare severe operational breakdowns during a September 5 visit by the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha spiritual movement.
The internal investigation uncovered a series of problems and shortcomings in the planning of official visits. Sete acknowledged that the delegation had requested limited interactions with women, and admitted that management erred by accommodating those conditions.
Staff Sidelined and Replaced During the September 5 Delegation Visit
The controversy ignited when roughly 100 members of the BAPS movement toured the monument. The group was in France to inaugurate its first traditional temple in Bussy-Saint-Georges, located east of Paris. According to employees and union representatives, the visit came with strict staffing modifications designed to keep female workers away from the visiting dignitaries.
Workers reported that female employees were instructed to withdraw from their regular posts and wait in separate areas, while male colleagues stepped in to replace them. Staff members were also barred from crossing certain zones while the delegation moved through the monument. Employees released a joint statement denouncing workplace policies that rendered female staff invisible based on their sex.
BAPS stated that the visit was coordinated with monument staff to occur around normal opening hours and minimize disruption. However, BAPS maintained that it never requested that female employees be hidden, removed or excluded from the site.
Union Strike Closes Paris Landmark and Triggers Political Condemnation
Outraged by the operational directives, monument workers walked off the job on September 7. The strike forced the immediate closure of the tourist attraction for the day. Union representatives noted that employees organized quickly over the weekend to demand answers from management and guarantee that workers would never face gender-based exclusion again.
Political leaders across the French political spectrum condemned the incident. Ariel Weil, who serves as mayor of Paris Centre and chairs SETE, criticized the monument’s managers for being overly zealous in meeting the delegation’s requests without assessing their appropriateness. Weil called the situation totally shocking and unacceptable during an interview with broadcaster Franceinfo.
- National Assembly president Yaël Braun-Pivet stated that she refuses to allow women to be compelled to step aside in order to accommodate foreign visitors.
- Far-right political figure Marine Le Pen declared that France will never accept limitations on the presence of women.
SETE Announces Management Overhaul and New Protocol Measures
In response to the fallout, city authorities and SETE initiated parallel investigations. Branco Ruivo, who has led the operating company since November 2018 after serving as an adviser to former Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo, will remain in his position through the end of the year to manage the executive transition.
To prevent similar occurrences, Weil announced plans to establish a dedicated protocol department within the organization.
BAPS issued a formal apology for any pain or inconvenience caused by the visit, emphasizing its commitment to mutual respect and service. Meanwhile, municipal officials maintained that the foundational republican principle of gender equality cannot be set aside for official protocol.
Keep reading