Ralf Hilpuesch
CEO Ritter Sport USA, Regional Vice President Americas
- Role
- Regional Vice President Americas at Ritter Sport
- Location
- Chicago, IL, US
- LinkedIn followers
- 500 followers
About Ralf Hilpuesch
Ralf Hilpuesch is currently CEO at Ritter Sport USA Inc, based in Chicago, Illinois. Alfred Ritter GmbH & Co. KG, established in 1912, is a family-owned company based in the German town of Waldenbuch, with subsidiaries in other international markets. The company currently employs approximately 1,900 people and achieved sales of $616 million in 2023. Alfred Ritter GmbH & Co. KG is the first major chocolate bar manufacturer to source only certified sustainable cocoa for its entire product portfolio, which includes the Ritter Sport and Amicelli brands. Ritter has proudly been a balance sheet climate-neutral company since 2020 - another example of its own purpose to do the right thing to create really good chocolate. The colorful Ritter Sport squares are sold in more than 100 countries around the world.Prior to joining Ritter Sport, Ralf was President at Dr. Wolff USA. Dr. Wolff Group is a $400M privately owned manufacturing company that produces leading personal care products and pharmaceuticals. Dr. Wolff’s unique and innovative brands like Alpecin, Plantur 39, Bioniq and Karex are sold in over 60 countries around the world. Before joining Dr. Wolff, Ralf has served as President and CEO of Storck North America for 18 years, and has been a Board Director of family-owned August Storck KG for eight years. Storck is a $3.2B, top 10 global confectionery company best known for its leading candy brands Werther’s Original, Mamba, Riesen, Toffifee, merci and Knoppers. An authentic, visionary leader, Ralf truly thrives by inspiring people while developing high-trust, high-performance teams and strong corporate cultures. As a result, Storck’s North American business has grown from $95M to $500M+ while continuously increasing profitability, and the flagship brand Werther’s Original has developed into the #1 Caramel Brand in America. Before coming to the US, Ralf has served in a variety of national and international sales, marketing and executive roles in Berlin, Germany. Ralf’s history of leadership is accompanied by his commitment to philanthropy and community work. Since 2008, Ralf has been a Board Member and 5-year Board Chair of Urban Initiatives, a nonprofit youth development organization that serves more than Chicago Public Schools students.
Experience
Regional Vice President Americas
Jan 2026 — Present · Chicago, IL, US
Education
Universität Osnabrück
Bachelor of Business Administration - BBA
1989 — 1994
University of Hull
International Business
1991 — 1992
Center for Creative Leadership
Leadership Development Program (LDP)
2005
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