Eiffel Tower CEO Resigns Following Gender Exclusion Scandal
The CEO of the Eiffel Tower operating company is stepping down after an internal review found female staff were sidelined during a Hindu group visit.
Patrick Branco Ruivo, the CEO of the company operating the Eiffel Tower, will step down at the end of the year following a major scandal. The resignation comes after an internal review revealed serious shortcomings related to the exclusion of female employees during a visit by a prominent Hindu delegation.
The controversy erupted following an incident on September 5, when union representatives claimed female staff were asked to stay out of sight while members of the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha group visited the monument. According to the group's website, monks belonging to the movement take vows of celibacy prohibiting them from speaking to or touching women.
The decision to sideline the female employees sparked outrage among the site's workforce, leading to a strike that closed the Eiffel Tower to visitors for a full day. Both the tower's management and the Hindu group issued apologies following the backlash. In an internal resignation letter, Ruivo maintained that he did not personally authorize the removal of the female staff.
French Minister for Gender Equality Aurore Bergé condemned the incident as unacceptable and contrary to French republican values, particularly secularism. Paris Deputy Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire also criticized the decision, stating that gender equality is a non-negotiable principle. The Paris City Hall, which holds a majority stake in the operating company, has launched two investigations to determine the chain of command that led to the incident.
