Patrick Branco Ruivo to Step Down as Eiffel Tower CEO Following Audit
- Patrick Branco Ruivo, the company managing the Eiffel Tower's Chief Executive Director, will step down at the end of 2026 following an independent investigation into a visit by...
- The management shakeup stems from an independent investigation ordered after the September 5 visit of a delegation from Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS), a prominent international Hindu...
- To accommodate these restrictions, monument management arranged a tour structure that minimized contact between monks and female workers.
Patrick Branco Ruivo, the company managing the Eiffel Tower’s Chief Executive Director, will step down at the end of 2026 following an independent investigation into a visit by an international Hindu religious delegation. Société d’Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel (SETE) announced the departure after an audit revealed operational lapses during the September 5 visit, where female staff members were ordered to leave their posts.
Independent Audit Exposes Operational Failures During BAPS Delegation Visit
The management shakeup stems from an independent investigation ordered after the September 5 visit of a delegation from Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS), a prominent international Hindu religious and public organization. According to labor union representatives cited in source reports, approximately 100 individuals participated in the private tour of the 330-meter landmark. The delegation included Hindu monks observing strict vows of celibacy, requiring them to avoid physical contact with women and limit personal interactions.
To accommodate these restrictions, monument management arranged a tour structure that minimized contact between monks and female workers. SETE confirmed that the subsequent independent audit uncovered a series of operational gaps and structural flaws not only in the execution of the visit, but also in the broader planning of protocol visits at the Paris landmark. SETE explicitly categorized the removal of female personnel as an unacceptable situation.
Union Backlash and Municipal Interventions Follow Workplace Closures
The incident triggered immediate industrial action among the workforce at the Paris monument. Staff members staged a walkout that closed the Eiffel Tower on September 7, before operations resumed the following day. Union representatives condemned the operational directives as intolerable and demanded assurances that female staff would never face similar treatment again.
Mayor of Paris Emmanuel Grégoire intervened by meeting with union delegates and SETE leadership to clarify the circumstances of the visit. City officials used the discussions to reassert the fundamental principles required of operators managing municipal public assets.
Organizational Denials and Wider Political Resonance
BAPS denied that the visit involved any form of gender discrimination. In a statement to the Associated Press, the organization maintained that the visit’s coordination was handled purely on logistic grounds to ensure a smooth experience for both the staff and general visitors.
Patrick Branco Ruivo, who headed SETE for eight years, will formally vacate his position at the conclusion of 2026.
