In 1980, René left the US for the UK. He was appointed Editorial Director at Blackwell Publishers, later becoming CEO. In 2007, he was elected Chair of Tubney Charitable Trust and served as Chair of The Wildlife Trusts from 2012-17. He joined the Heritage Lottery Fund in 2018, first as Senior Independent Director, then Interim Chair. He continues to serve on the Cultural and Heritage Capital Advisory Board. René was Chair of the RSPCA from 2019-23 and became Chair of the National Trust in 2022.