Associate Board
Rafael Hines is Chief Operating Officer at Hemster. Rafael has diverse experiences in eCommerce, international business development, investment banking, and corporate development. He previously served as General Manager at Elastic Suite, Vice President, Strategy at Emerald, Vice President of Corporate Strategy and E-Commerce at Bugatchi, and led Strategy and Business Intelligence for Barney's New York. Rafael has also worked in investment banking as an Associate at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Previously, he spent several years in the retail industry, where he began his career in buying at Ralph Lauren. He then moved into international business development at Coach and Michael Kors, overseeing brand development in Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America. His multi-disciplinary background provides unique insight into the product, strategy, and financial aspects of retail, all of which must coalesce for new ventures to scale and thrive. Rafael holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA in History from Harvard University.
