Eiffel Tower chief to step down after BAPS Hindu delegation row in Paris

The director general of the company operating the Eiffel Tower announced his resignation at the end of 2026 following a controversy involving a Hindu religious delegation's visit. Patrick Branco Ruivo, who has been the director general since 2018, will leave his post after an investigation found operational flaws and shortcomings that led to the "unacceptable" exclusion of female staff.

The incident, which occurred on September 5, involved a delegation from the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) visiting the Eiffel Tower. The delegation requested a visit that limited interactions with women, but the operator, SETE, accepted the request. As a result, female employees were sidelined, replaced, and made invisible, leading to a staff protest and a one-day closure of the Eiffel Tower on September 7.

SETE stated that the conditions should not have been accepted, and an independent investigation found a series of operational failures. In response, SETE announced that Ruivo would leave his position at the end of 2026 and that the company would implement measures to promote gender equality.