Torge (pictured) joins Lightspeed from Nielsen where she was most recently associate director of client development, working on-site at Nestlé. Prior to Nielsen, she was a brand development manager with Catalina Marketing.

She will report to Christine Clark, senior vice-president, sales and business development and will bolster the commercial team to support Lightspeed’s expanding data strategy, led by Jason Dodge who joined in April as senior vice-president, data solutions.

Clark said: “As our business portfolio expands on the West Coast, bringing on a strong, experienced sales leader was crucial. Valerie’s industry knowledge, experience and keen comprehension of how data insights intersect with consumer understanding will be a huge asset to our clients.”