Eiffel Tower CEO Resigns After Gender Discrimination Outrage



Hindu monks stand before the Eiffel Tower
A delegation of BAPS Hindu monks visited the Eiffel Tower earlier this month.


The chief executive of the company that runs the Eiffel Tower will step down after a backlash over female staff being replaced by male colleagues during a visit by a Hindu religious group.


Patrick Branco Ruivo, who has led the monument since 2018, will leave the position nationwide by the end of this year, the structure's operators, SETE, announced.


An internal probe revealed that "operational flaws and shortcomings" in organising the visit led to the "unacceptable" removal of female staff—who were temporarily replaced by male colleagues as a delegation of around 100 people linked to the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) requested.


The BAPS movement, founded in the 18th century, strictly separates men and women in its temple activities and entrances, a rule the delegation insisted the Eiffel Tower adopt during their visit.


SETE said the delegation’s request "should not have been accepted" and that the removal was a "disallowed" break from egalitarian policy.


A union spokesperson said the women were asked to leave their posts and "felt humiliated," and employees reported being barred from certain areas during the demonstration.


The incident prompted a strike by staff and led to the tower’s closure, provoking condemnation from French lawmakers.


National Assembly President Yaël Braun‑Pivet declared she would not allow women to be "compelled to step aside for foreign visitors."


Paris’ Socialist mayor Emmanuel Gregoire called the decision "absurd, unjust and unacceptable" and launched a separate investigation.


SETE chair Ariel Weil said new training initiatives will be introduced to foster gender equality before the leadership transition.



Eiffel Tower closed amid employee strike
The tower closed as staff went on strike to show their outrage.


BAPS issued an apology for any pain or inconvenience, stating it "believes in universal values of mutual respect and service."


The group characterises itself as a volunteer-driven fellowship aimed at improving society through Hindu values, and maintains that segregation was for women’s benefit.


Critics argue that 18th‑century beliefs have no place in modern society, and gender‑based segregation is discriminatory.