Washington, D.C.-based Erin Pelton is now vice-president of communications and public affairs at the Ottawa-headquartered commerce company. She was most recently a special assistant to U.S. President Joe Biden and chief of staff to his domestic policy council. She announced the move in a tweet on Friday. (The Logic)

Talking point: Pelton is the second top White House aide Shopify has recently recruited; former staff secretary Jessica Hertz joined as general counsel in October 2021. Over the last year, Shopify has also added government-relations professionals with both Republican and Democratic credentials and retained prominent D.C. lobbying firms to talk to lawmakers on its behalf. The Canadian company is building out its policy presence in the U.S. as lawmakers pursue an antitrust crackdown against tech giants and mull regulation in areas like cryptocurrency. Like Hertz and Maryam Mujica, now Shopify’s vice-president of government affairs, Pelton worked in the executive branch during the Obama administration. Shopify did not respond to The Logic’s questions about her hire.