For more than a decade, Riko has managed international assignments across Europe, the US, and Asia, with a particular focus on Benelux, China, Singapore, and Switzerland. He supports companies undergoing transformation and provides guidance on executing strategic initiatives and scaling with the right leadership. Riko effectively bridges Eastern and Western cultures, offering valuable cultural insights and access to a global pool of executive talent for his clients. By directly managing large teams on nearly every continent, Riko has gained valuable cultural insights, enabling him to place executives who are not only a cultural fit but also contribute positively to the organizational culture.

Riko has built a career developing recruitment and executive search organizations across different parts of the world, successfully completing executive search assignments for senior leadership roles, including C-level positions and Board Directors within the life sciences sector for clients from early-stage PE and VC-backed companies to some of the largest players in specialty chemicals, agri-commodity, and food ingredients. Prior to ZRG, Riko served as Vice President for ZRG, a global supply chain and life sciences search firm, where he was responsible for the company's global expansion and for building new business lines.

Earlier in his career, Riko was a life sciences practice leader in Asia, residing in China and Singapore where he contributed to building The Adecco Group’s presence in Asia and increased their base of senior recruiters by 300%.

Prior to his time in Asia, Riko oversaw commercial operations and the international expansion of SIRE Life Sciences, successfully opening offices in Germany, Switzerland, France, and Austria.

Riko holds JD and LLM degrees in Civil and Corporate Law from the University of Groningen. A Dutch national, Riko is fluent in English and Dutch.