Rico studied Business Studies and Economics at the University of Bremen in Germany until 2005 before joining the Chair of Innovative Brand Management at the University of Bremen as a Research Assistant. The University of Bremen awarded him the degree Doctor of Economics and Social Sciences for his doctoral thesis Internal Brand Management with the top grade summa cum laude in 2010. After gaining practical experiences as a Consultant and Senior Consultant at the KEYLENS Research Center from 2010 to 2013, Rico returned to the University of Bremen as an Assistant Professor in 2013. He worked at the Chair of Innovative Brand Management (since 2018: Working Group Innovative Brand Management at the markstones Institute of Marketing, Branding & Technology) until 2019. In 2020, Rico joined the Department of Marketing at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia.

Rico has an international profile as an applied branding academic. His high-quality, impactful research focuses on internal & employer branding, brand communication & social media marketing, city branding, brand competitiveness and the academic-practitioner gap.

As a research-active academic, Rico engages in research collaborations with domestic (e.g., the University of Queensland and Griffith University in Australia) and international partners (e.g., the University of Bremen and the WHU - Otto Beisheim School of  Management in Germany).

His research has been published in leading marketing and branding journals, such as the Journal of Product & Brand Management, Journal of Brand Management, International Journal of Hospitality Management, Journal of Service Theory and Practice, Journal of Strategic Marketing and European Journal of Marketing.

He regularly presents at international conferences, such as the Academy of Marketing Science Annual Conference, Academy of Marketing Science World Marketing Congress, American Marketing Association Winter Academic Conference and European Marketing Academy Annual Conference. Rico has received two best paper awards in the tracks Digital Marketing and Social Media and International Marketing and Strategy at Australian and New Zealand Marketing Academy (ANZMAC) conferences in 2018 and 2021, respectively.

Rico synthesises research and promotes knowledge transfer through his co-authored textbook Identity-based Brand Management, the publication of book chapters (e.g., in The Routledge Companion to Corporate Branding) and articles in practitioner journals (e.g., CMO Magazine).

Rico has a track record of successful supervision of students and their thesis at all levels, including Bachelor, Master and PhD students. At Macquarie University, Rico supervises Master of Research and PhD students in topics related to branding:

Current Master of Research students:
Gaki Wangmo (Brand Competitiveness) 2020-present

Current PhD students:
Rhys Ashby (Buy-now-pay-later and Consumer Spending Decisions) 2021-present
Fatima Shahid (Brand Anthropomorphism) 2021-present

Rico follows a research-led, reflective and applied approach to teaching aimed at creating an engaging learning experience and achieving higher levels of understanding. His teaching experiences include various branding, marketing, market research and methods courses across different settings at several educational institutions (e.g., Brand Management, Strategic Branding, Marketing, Strategic Marketing, Consumer Behaviour & Marketing Research, Market Research, Applied Multivariate Data Analysis in Marketing, Advanced Quantitative Research Approaches in Business and Economics). He also contributes to the curriculum through unit development and redesign. Rico applies different teaching methods, combines academic knowledge and management practice and uses a teaching style that is characterised by enthusiasm, transparency, respect, fairness, a sense of humour and care. His teaching regularly receives above-average student evaluations.

Rico has experience in mentoring junior academic staff and has served in leadership roles at the department (e.g., Strategic Partner Engagement at the Department of Marketing), faculty (e.g., Corporate Engagement Coordinator for the Department of Marketing, advisory role on brand positioning for the Executive Dean of the business school) and university level (e.g., member of the PhD Admissions Committee for three faculties at the University of Bremen in Germany).

Rico actively engages with the academic and practitioner community. He is a member of the Editorial Review Board at the Journal of Business Research and the Editorial Board at the Journal of Brand Management. He also serves as an ad hoc reviewer for leading academic marketing and branding journals and conferences. He engages in leadership roles as a session chair or panellist at academic conferences. Rico initiates and guest-edits special issues (e.g., in the Journal of Brand Management on Internal Brand Management).

Rico's professional network with strong ties to the industry results from managing numerous collaborations with companies (e.g., Deutsche Post DHL, Deutsche Bahn, Deutsche Telekom, TUI, Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, Burger King), government institutions (e.g., the City of Bremerhaven in Germany), professional bodies (e.g., The German Brands Association) and management consulting firms (e.g., KEYLENS Management Consultants) on strategic branding issues (brand positioning, brand strategy, brand identity). He has a successful track record of acquiring industry grants. Rico is a professional member of the Australian Marketing Institute (AMI) and received the professional certification as a Certified Practising Marketer (CPM).