The head of the group that operates the Eiffel Tower on Tuesday announced he is stepping down at the end of the year after ordering the removal of female staff to accommodate a Hindu religious sect visit to the famed Paris site.
The historic Parisian monument became the center of a massive controversy earlier this month after it was revealed that the Eiffel Tower Exploitation Company (SETE), the group responsible for operating the tower, had instructed its female personnel to become “invisible” so as to accommodate a private visit from members of the Hindu denomination Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) on September 5.
The Eiffel Tower workers, outraged at the religious group’s demands, staged a strike in response, forcing the temporary closure of the tower on Monday, September 7.
The controversy led to several French politicians to join the workers in expressing their indignation over the explicit act of gender segregation, among which notably stood National Rally leader Marine Le Pen, the President of the French National Assembly Yaël Braun-Pivet, and socialist Mayor of Paris Emmanuel Grégoire, among others.
The situation prompted two separate investigations into the matter — an internal one conducted by SETE, and another conducted by the City of Paris in its capacity as the majority 99 percent owner of the Eiffel Tower.
On Tuesday, weeks after the incident, SETE announced that its current director Patrick Branco Ruivo will step down from his position at the end of 2026.
The Eiffel Tower reopened September 8, 2026 after staff walked out over the removal of women colleagues during a visit by a Hindu religious sect. (Lou BENOIST / AFP via Getty)
French news broadcaster BFMTV reports that SETE, in a statement shared with multiple outlets, explained Branco Ruivo’s resignation is the result of its investigation — which revealed a “series of operational issues and shortcomings in the planning of official visits and the organization” of the Hindu group’s visit.
Said issues and shortcomings, SETE reportedly added, is what led to the exclusion of female staff on the day of the visit — deeming it “an unacceptable situation.”
The office of Paris Mayor Grégoire reportedly acknowledged the director’s “responsible decision” in stepping down and praised “his commitment to the Eiffel Tower and SETE” ever since he took the position in 2018.
“It is now imperative to prepare for the leadership transition under the best possible conditions and to fully learn from this situation so that such unacceptable incidents can never happen again,” the Mayor’s office reportedly said in remarks shared with BFMTV.
Ariel Weil, the socialist mayor of Paris Centre and also the chairman of SETE’s board, reportedly stated on Tuesday that he had requested the creation of a “dedicated protocol department and the implementation of a new set of measures and training programs to promote gender equality.”
“The coming months will allow us to prepare for the leadership transition under the best possible conditions,” Weil said.