# Daniel A. Etra

> Daniel A. Etra is the New York-based co-founder and former CEO of RethinkFirst. His career includes investment banking at Wasserstein Perella, management at Promodex, consulting at Bain & Company, and co-founding retail printing supplier R.E.R. International. He led RethinkFirst for more than 17 years and built two companies with longtime partner Eran Rosenthal.

- **Role:** Co-founder and former CEO at RethinkFirst
- **Organizations:** RethinkFirst, R.E.R. International, Bain & Company, Promodex Ltd., Wasserstein Perella & Co., Epi One, Inc., Young Presidents’ Organization
- **From:** New York, United States
- **Education:** BA in Economics, Yale University, MBA, Harvard Business School
- **Known for:** Co-founded and led RethinkFirst for more than 17 years., Built two companies with Eran Rosenthal over a partnership spanning more than 22 years, according to both founders’ departure messages., Led Rethink during its 2014 Series C and 2020 K1 strategic investment.

## Career timeline

- **1993-1995** — Financial analyst at Wasserstein Perella & Co.; worked in mergers and acquisitions.
- **1995-2002** — Managing director at Promodex Ltd., an importer and distributor; period includes business school.
- **Before 2002** — Worked as a consultant at Bain & Company.
- **2002-2017** — Co-founder and CEO of R.E.R. International, supplying printed materials to the retail industry.
- **2007-2024** — Co-founder and CEO of RethinkFirst.
- **2014** — Rethink announced a $10 million Series C co-led by Beringea and Arboretum Ventures.
- **2019** — Etra and Eran Rosenthal were recognized with a Leadership Award at the MHNE awards reception.
- **2020** — Rethink announced a strategic investment from K1 Investment Management.
- **2023** — Joined the Epi One board in March; a 2024 SEC offering document records the appointment.
- **2025** — Publicly marked his departure from the RethinkFirst CEO role as Ben Semmes was appointed.

## Achievements

- Co-founded and led RethinkFirst for more than 17 years.
- Built two companies with Eran Rosenthal over a partnership spanning more than 22 years, according to both founders’ departure messages.
- Led Rethink during its 2014 Series C and 2020 K1 strategic investment.
- Shared a 2019 Leadership Award with Eran Rosenthal.

## Latest updates

- **2025-01** — Etra announced that he was stepping aside after more than 17 years as RethinkFirst CEO; Ben Semmes was announced as successor on January 8.
- **2026-03** — RethinkFirst subsequently appointed Dinesh Senanayake CEO, effective March 2. This is a company update following Etra’s tenure.

## Links

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/etradaniel

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/daniel-etra
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-25