François Marchand is a French civil engineer trained at the École des Mines. He retired in 2016 after an international career in the public transport sector, working in 26 countries across five continents. A conscientious objector in the 1970s, he has devoted more than 55 years of volunteer engagement, advocacy, and action to promoting and developing nonviolence. In 2001, he contributed to the creation of Non-violence XXI, where he now serves as co-president. He has also been involved in promoting civilian peace intervention, including serving on the Board of Nonviolent Peaceforce from 2016 to 2025. Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, he has supported efforts to advance nonviolent civilian defense (DCNV).