With a degree in engineering from École des Mines de Paris, Jean-Pierre Farandou worked in the Denver, Colorado office of Amax, a US-based mining company, before joining SNCF in 1981. After holding various managerial positions in production and marketing, in 1993 he was named project manager and tasked with launching the Paris-Lille TGV line. He then laid the legal foundation for Thalys International in Brussels, serving as its Managing Director from 1993 to 1998. He held positions as Director of Executive HR (1998-2000) and Deputy Director for Main Lines (2000-2002); served as Regional Director for Rhône Alpes, home to the largest TER network in France; and then became Managing Director of Keolis Lyon, operator of the city’s bus, metro and light rail systems. In October 2006 he was named Director of SNCF’s Proximités division, which included Transilien, TER, Intercités and the Keolis/Effia Group, and in August 2012 he became Chairman of the Keolis Executive Board.

Jean-Pierre Farandou has served as SNCF Chairman and SNCF CEO since 1 November 2019.

In February 2023, Jean-Pierre Farandou was elected at the head of Fer de France, an association uniting the main players in the rail industry (transport organisation authorities, infrastructure managers, industrial groups, transport operators and engineering groups).

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 support offered to Ukraine by the rail group since it was invaded by Russia in February 2022.