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 of 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 experience as a Consultant and Senior Consultant at the KEYLENS Research Center from 2010 to 2013, Rico returned to the University of Bremen as a Postdoc in the Working Group Innovative Brand Management at the markstones Institute of Marketing, Branding & Technology. In 2020, Rico joined the Department of Marketing at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia.

Rico has an international profile as a 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, the Academy of Marketing Science World Marketing Congress, the American Marketing Association Winter Academic Conference, the European Marketing Academy Annual Conference, and the Australian and New Zealand Marketing Academy Conference. Rico has received three best paper awards in the tracks Digital Marketing and Social Media, International Marketing and Strategy and Marketing Strategy, Branding and Brand Management at ANZMAC conferences in 2018, 2021 and 2023, respectively.

Rico synthesises research and promotes knowledge transfer through his co-authored textbook Identity-based Brand Management (available in German and English), 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 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:

Master of Research students:
Gaki Wangmo (Brand Competitiveness) 2021-2022

PhD students:
Rhys Ashby (Buy-now-pay-later and Consumer Behaviour) 2020-2024
Gaki Wangmo (Brand Competitiveness) 2023-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, Research Frontiers 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 been awarded by Macquarie Business School as a highly commended finalist in the student-nominated award category as part of the 2023 Vice-Chancellor’s Learning and Teaching Awards at Macquarie University.

Rico has experience in mentoring junior academic staff and has served in service and leadership roles at department (e.g., Strategic Partner Engagement and member of the Department Connection Committee at the Department of Marketing, Macquarie University), faculty (e.g., Corporate Engagement Coordinator for the Department of Marketing and Faculty Director Master of Research at Macquarie Business School) and university (e.g., member of the PhD Admissions Committee for three faculties at the University of Bremen) levels.

Rico actively engages with the academic and practitioner community. He is an Associate Editor at the Journal of Product & Brand Management (2022 CiteScore: 8.9, 2022 JIF: 5.6 (Q2), 2022 SJR: 1.427 (Q1), 2022 ABDC: A) and serves on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Brand Management and the Editorial Review Board of the Australasian Marketing Journal. 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, panellist and track chair at international conferences (e.g., co-chairing tracks at the 2023 Academy of Marketing Science Annual Conference, USA, and the 2023 Australian and New Zealand Marketing Academy Conference, NZ). Rico initiates and guest-edits special issues (e.g., in the Journal of Brand Management on Internal Brand Management and in the Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services on Brand Competitiveness).

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).