The company has been building its presence in Asia Pacific with a new office in Seoul and now the spotlight is on China.

Tsui will be responsible for local initiatives across Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, while supporting Lightspeed’s global strategy.

He joined Lightspeed in 2009 and was most recently vice-president, Greater China. Prior to Lightspeed he has worked in a number of businesses including Mindshare, Nielsen HK and Datamonitor in the UK. Tsui will report directly to Caroline Frankum, global chief executive officer.

Frankum said: “In a market where there is a clear shift to ‘local giants’ we need new ways of thinking through smart solutions in China for China. Strong, experienced local leadership is therefore critical and Jeff brings that.”

Tsui added: “We’re taking advantage of an existing popular, non-research app to directly talk to consumers. Part of Lightspeed’s ambition is to provide right data from real consumers. I see it as our goal to develop a more significant, local presence in China – combining WeChat’s technological prowess and its status as trusted, familiar platform together with Lightspeed’s focus on consumer engagement.”