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. 

Rico’s research that focuses on internal & employer branding, brand communication & social media marketing, city branding and the academic-practice gap 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. He engages with the academic community by taking leadership roles as a session chair or panellist, initiating and guest-editing special issues (e.g., on Internal Brand Management in the Journal of Brand Management) and serving as an ad hoc reviewer for leading marketing and branding journals and renowned conferences. He also serves as a member of the Editorial Board at the Journal of Brand Management. Rico synthesises research and promotes knowledge transfer through his co-authored textbook Identity-based Brand Management and the publication of book chapters (e.g., in The Routledge Companion to Corporate Branding).

His teaching experiences include teaching various branding, marketing, market research and methods courses (e.g., Brand Management, Strategic Branding, Marketing, Strategic Marketing, Consumer Behaviour & Marketing Research, Market Research and Applied Multivariate Data Analysis in Marketing) across different settings at several educational institutions. His teaching philosophy aims to create an engaging education experience through applying different teaching methods, combining academic knowledge and management practice and using 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'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). He currently serves as the Corporate Engagement Coordinator at the Department of Marketing.