Graduating from the University of Benin in 1993 with a degree in Law and International Relations, René founded his first company in 1995, specializing in the distribution of gaseous products.

By 1998, he had expanded into the transport and commercialization of petroleum and oilseed products within the sub-region, including Togo, Ghana, and Ivory Coast. In 2005, René established Benin Petro, taking advantage of deregulation in the petroleum sector to grow the business, which led to significant trading activities with regional partners such as Sonabhy and stakeholders from Mali, Ghana, and Côte d’Ivoire.

Since 2007, René’s distribution network has expanded significantly.  This includes the acquisition of 47 stations from the Sonacop network. On 2012, René launched a subsidiary in Togo, which now encompasses around 20 service stations, with additional expansions in progress in Côte d’Ivoire on 2011 and Mali with acquisition of Totalenergies assets on 2025.

René holds an Executive MBA from NEOMA Business School, multiple certificates from HEC Paris, including three Executive Certificates (CESA Leadership, ICCF, ACCF STRATEGY), and an advanced studies diploma from HES-SO in Switzerland.