On 25 May, Renata Zinnatullina, a 2021 RIOU graduate, held an online meeting with current students, sharing how she built her career after university. 

Renata has been involved in international sporting events since 2012. She started as a volunteer and gradually rose to become a manager handling guest services, communications and protocol. After graduating from RIOU, she received a job offer from one of her professors and moved to London to work for a consulting agency. From there, her career took off: the Boxing World Championships in Istanbul, the FINA World Championships in Budapest, and then the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. 

Since then, she has worked at major international competitions, including the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia, the African Football League, the FIFA Arab Cup, the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Saudi Arabia, and the 2026 Winter Olympics. In total, she has taken part in organising more than 150 events across 12 countries. 

During the meeting, she gave future graduates detailed advice on where to find jobs in sports, how to craft a CV that stands out to employers, and how to effectively maintain the right professional connections. She also spoke about things that success stories often leave out – the doubts, the failures, and the projects she wasn’t selected for. 

Renata regularly speaks to RIOU students, each time providing them with clear guidance. As graduation approaches, students gain a solid understanding of the opportunities ahead and what it takes to find their very own ‘dream job’ in sports.