Ricky De Kock

Commercialisation of innovation pipelines within the Innovation team, bridging culinary, technical, and commercial capabilities to deliver scalable dairy solutions across global foodservice and B2B markets.

Key Responsibilities

• Drive cross-functional collaboration across R&D, marketing, sales, and operations teams to accelerate project delivery
• Develop and validate new product applications with a focus on foodservice and B2B customer needs
• Identify and build customer pipelines for new product development (NPD) and innovation-led growth opportunities
• Support the development of go-to-market strategies, including value propositions and customer engagement frameworks

Key Achievements

• Led in-market validation initiatives in South Korea, generating actionable insights for product refinement
• Successfully led a project pivot, re-establishing direction and delivering the project back to commercial viability

Managed key national foodservice accounts and distributor partnerships, driving revenue growth, pricing strategy, and portfolio performance across large-scale customers. Collaborating and building strong relationship with internal and external stakeholder

Key Responsibilities

• Managed strategic relationships with Bidfood and national foodservice customers, acting as the primary commercial contact
• Led pricing strategy, contract negotiations, and tender submissions across key accounts
• Monitored and optimised portfolio performance, including volume, margin, and rebates
• Collaborated with distributor teams to execute category reviews, product ranging, and promotional plans
• Delivered customer-specific insights and recommendations to support growth and retain market share
• Coordinated with internal teams (marketing, supply chain, category) to ensure consistent execution
• Managed rebates, claims, and commercial reporting, ensuring accuracy and alignment with agreements

Key Achievements

• Managed a national portfolio valued at $50M in annual revenue, growing from $40M through proactive account expansion and pricing strategy
• Delivered 4% year-on-year growth across key product categories through targeted commercial initiatives
• Increased profit margins by ~30% via pricing optimisation and improved portfolio mix
• Reduced trade spend by 25%, enhancing overall commercial efficiency and return on investment
• Expanded market share by 15–25% across key segments through distributor engagement and strategic account development
• Managed relationships with major accounts including Burger Burger, Montana Foods, and government sectors (Defence & Corrections)
• Drove category growth through pricing optimisation, distributor alignment, and customer-specific commercial strategies

Developed new business and drove customer acquisition across foodservice channels.

Key Responsibilities

• Built and converted new business pipeline across foodservice customers
• Delivered solution-led selling through product demos, application support, and menu development
• Expanded distribution through distributor partnerships
• Identified market opportunities and contributed to go-to-market strategies
• Supported NPD launches by engaging early-stage customers
• Running distributor trade shows, to showcase out portfolio

Key Achievements

• Converted ~25% of pipeline opportunities into active customers
• Grew distribution footprint across 17 branches
• Increase market share by 15% in key categories

Built extensive expertise in foodservice operations, customer behaviour, and product application, forming a strong foundation for solution selling.

Key Strengths

• Deep understanding of customer needs, operations, and decision drivers
• Expertise in menu development and product application
• Ability to translate product functionality into practical, high-impact solutions
• Built and developed high-performing teams through structured training and mentoring, improving performance, consistency, and capability

Selected Experience

• Nobu – One of the biggest Japanese restaurants
• Disney Cruise Line (Remy) - exclusive fine dining
• Esquina - incredible Spanish tapas bar
• Madam Woo – Casual Malaysian hawker concept
• The Oyster Inn – Coastal island dining