FIFA Master Alumni – Where are they now? – Marianne Cornejo

Marianne Cornejo

Current Position: Red Bull International Motorsports Jr. Manager - Two Wheel

Year of graduation: 2015 (15th Edition)

Nationality: Mexican / American / Spanish

What does your current role involve?

In my current role, I work across a few different areas of the business. My favourite part is without a doubt being the project manager for the Red Bull Rookies Cup (the development programme for young riders and the entry point to MotoGP). We have 12 races at 7 MotoGP events across Europe. This is where 25 Rookies (typically aged 13-17 and from +15 nations) are given access to the same coaches, technical staff, and circuits as their MotoGP heroes. It is a highly successful programme with half of Moto3 (next tier up) having their roots in the Rookies Cup.

Additionally, I am responsible for year-long strategic alignment with Red Bull’s international markets including business planning and consumer activations, defining communication initiatives, as well as managing partnerships, legal contracts/negotiations, and athlete relations for Red Bull’s Two Wheel athletes. I also support the Head of International Motorsport Two Wheel in managing the relationship with our Red Bull KTM teams, Repsol Honda, and coordination of credentials and consumer experiences.

Which aspects of the FIFA Master course have helped you most in your career?

The FIFA Master course has helped me significantly in my career. As I went through the course I took meticulous notes and made many observations without being sure how they would be useful to me. I now find myself drawing on those experiences on a routine basis and in the most unexpected situations. Whether this is while brainstorming, networking or problem-solving, for example. Moreover, through the rich diversity of the course in the student make-up of my class, the various countries we lived in, and the variety of organizations we engaged with, I find it easy to relate to other people that I come in contact with through my daily work, whether they are senior stakeholders or peers from the paddock.

What advice would you give to future students on the course?

My advice would be to soak it all in like a sponge! You never know what will be useful in the long run! Take notes on the people that you are meeting and especially on the guest speakers. If you ever need to contact them, it is always beneficial to remember a point they made when trying to establish a relationship. Keep an open mind and pay close attention to the topics that most take your interest - even if it is outside your specific background. Sport offers the chance for unique overlaps and I have found that the things I am most passionate about I also do the best in as well. Enjoy the process, be involved, and utilize the FMA network!

The FIFA Master - International Master in Management, Law and Humanities of Sport, ranked No.1 Course in Europe 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2018 by the SportBusiness International global rankings. 

Organised by CIES in partnership with De Montfort University (United Kingdom), SDA Bocconi School of Management (Italy) and the University of Neuchâtel (Switzerland).

Discover more examples of inspiring FIFA Master alumni career paths by clicking here.