Jean-Pierre FARANDOU

Bio

A graduate of Mines de Paris, Jean-Pierre FARANDOU began his career with the American mining company Amax in Denver, Colorado, before joining SNCF in 1981. He worked in all areas of transport - pointsman, train driver, dispatcher - and passed through all levels of operational management. He launched three TGV lines: Paris-Lille in 1993 as Project Manager, Thalys in 1996 as Managing Director of Thalys International, and the TGV Méditerranée in 2001 as Deputy Director of Main Lines. He went on to manage the SNCF Rhône-Alpes region, before becoming Managing Director of Keolis Lyon, the operator of Lyon's bus, metro and tram services. Jean-Pierre FARANDOU also held the position of Director of HR Management from 1998 to 2000. From 2006, as a member of the SNCF Executive Committee, he set up and managed the SNCF Proximités branch, bringing together Transilien, TER, Intercités and the Keolis-Effia Group. In 2012, he was appointed Chief Operating Officer of the SNCF Group, before becoming Chairman of the Executive Board of Keolis, a specialist in urban transport, a position he held for seven years. Jean-Pierre Farandou has been Chairman of the SNCF Group since 1 November 2019. His ambition is to position the SNCF Group as the world leader in sustainable passenger and freight mobility by 2030. In this way, he is making the company a key player in the response to society's urgent climate and environmental challenges, as well as the priority of regional development, at a time when the company is taking up the challenge of opening up the market to full competition. In February 2023, Jean-Pierre Farandou was also elected for a three-year term at the head of Fer de France, the association that federates the players in the industry. On Tuesday 5 November 2024, Jean-Pierre Farandou was decorated by Ukraine and awarded the Order of Merit, according to a decree published on 24 August by the Ukrainian Presidency. This distinction rewards the rail group's support for Ukraine since its invasion by Russia in February 2022.