Eiffel Tower operator chief to leave after staff exclusion inquiry

Patrick Branco Ruivo, director general of the company that operates the Eiffel Tower, will leave his post at the end of 2026 after an inquiry found organizational failures in arrangements for a Hindu delegation’s September 5 visit that resulted in female staff being excluded, the company said Tuesday. Société d’Exploitation de la tour Eiffel, known as SETE, said the failures led to an unacceptable situation. Ruivo has led the company since 2018. The announcement comes after the incident prompted a staff strike and the Eiffel Tower’s closure for a day on September 7. The delegation was from Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, commonly known as BAPS. Accounts of the incident said female employees were kept away from the delegation, with some asked to leave their posts or move to other rooms. The inquiry’s public summary did not detail who issued the instructions or provide the underlying evidence and full recommendations. SETE’s chair, Ariel Weil, said measures and training to promote gender equality had been requested.