BuildDirect.com, a Canada-based e-retailer that sells materials for floors, decks, siding and related uses, has hired Gail Galea as its chief merchandising officer.

Since December 2010, she had worked as an independent retail consultant based in Toronto, according to her LinkedIn profile. Before that, she was senior vice president merchandising, strategic initiatives, for Wal-Mart Stores Inc. She began her career with Wal-Mart in 2002 as a district manager for Wal-Mart Canada and later became a regional vice president and vice president  of general merchandise, sourcing.

Wal-Mart is No. 4 in the Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide.

At her new job, Galea will be responsible for expanding BuildDirect.com’s product lines and supplier network, and improving the e-retailer’s global sales strategy. “Gail has a proven track record of helping high-growth companies increase market share exponentially,” says Jeff Booth, president and CEO of BuildDirect. “She really excels in strategic roles and brings to us the best of both worlds, having worked with the world’s largest retailer as well as smaller entrepreneurial teams.”

BuildDirect says it has tripled its staff within the past six months and recently raised $16 million in venture capital from Omers Ventures. BuildDirect was founded in 1999.