Fenton (pictured) will succeed Frédéric Charles Petit, who founded Toluna and has led the company for 25 years. Petit will remain as a board member, senior adviser and shareholder in the business.

Prior to taking up her new role, Fenton was chief executive and board member at MarketCast, before which she led the company’s operations, insights and analytics functions.

Before MarketCast, Fenton was chief client officer, North America at Kantar and chief client officer and chief marketing officer, North America at Ipsos.

Fenton also spent 25 years at Nielsen in global and regional leadership roles across North and South America and Europe after starting her career at Procter & Gamble.

Bruce Haymes, chairman of Toluna, said: “The board set out to find a leader who combines deep knowledge of the insights industry and its clients with hands-on experience of transforming a research business through technology and AI, and Amy is that leader.”

Fenton said: “Frédéric and the team have built exceptional foundations over 25 years. My first priority is to spend time with our clients and our world-class team to understand the decisions that matter most to clients.

“I am grateful to the board for its confidence, and to Frédéric for his partnership through the handover.”

Petit added: “When I said this was the right moment for new leadership, I hoped we would find a leader like Amy.

“She has spent more than 30 years in our industry, close to its clients, and she understands what makes Toluna different. I look forward to supporting her and the team as a board member, adviser and shareholder.”